Historical Bodies and the Marketplace: Ethical Engagement

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Human Remains in the Marketplace and Beyond: Myths and Realities of Monitoring, Grappling With, and Anthropologizing the Illicit Trade in a Post-Harvard World" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Commerce and trade in human remains involves a panoply of thorny ethical questions surrounding rights of the dead and the authority of the living to speak for them. Trafficking of human remains may be defined as unauthorized, exploitative, or obscene commerce involving human bodies. Interest in a particular set of human remains is frequently heightened by a connection to larger narratives in public imagination. Criminality, royalty, relics, and superlative qualities frequently drive public interest. “Forensic” biohistory refers to the use of scientific methods to ascertain the identity, or characterize the circumstances surrounding the lives and deaths in such cases. Here we examine the broad landscape of biohistory to identify and explore ethical challenges that anthropologists face to advocate for the dead while simultaneously avoiding and combating exploitation and trafficking of human remains. Specifically we consider justification of exhumation, who (if anyone) owns remains legally or morally, and arbitration of competing narratives surrounding historical bodies in examples such as Francisco Franco, Richard III, Beethoven, Pedro de Corpa, and Charles Byrne. Anthropologists’ roles in studying such historical bodies is potentially fraught, but presents opportunities to shape public debate about history and experience greater impact outside of the academy.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• Human Remains in the Marketplace and Beyond: Myths and Realities of Monitoring, Grappling With, and Anthropologizing the Illicit Trade in a Post-Harvard World

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38511.0