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Hayden, Deborah

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0020191

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…That a dynamic of non-traditional engagement may serve to discourage investing in biohistory as a field is not surprising. In fact, the one common thread among the relatively few prior surveys of the topic is a concern with ethics (Andrews et al, 2004;Buenger, 2004;Hayden, 2005aHayden, , 2005bKomar and Buikstra, 2008;Lewis, 2006;Masterton, 2010;Paradise, 2005;Paradise and Andrews, 2007; in particular see Lawrence (2007) on the application of HIPAA's Privacy Rule to historical documents), and ethical concerns are legion. Ultimately, biohistory engages human bodies that intersect with an interesting story or are associated with fame/infamy/celebrity.…”

Section: Defining and Delineating A Biohistorical Research Agendamentioning

confidence: 99%

Studies in Forensic Biohistory

Stojanowski¹,

Duncan

2017

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The lives of kings, poets, authors, criminals and celebrities are a perpetual fascination in the media and popular culture, and for decades anthropologists and other scientists have participated in 'post-mortem dissections' of the lives of historical figures. In this field of biohistory, researchers have identified and analyzed these figures' bodies using technologies such as DNA fingerprinting, biochemical assays, and skeletal biology. This book brings together biohistorical case studies for the first time, and considers the role of the anthropologist in the writing of historical narratives surrounding the deceased. Contributors theorize biohistory with respect to the sociology of the body, examining the ethical implications of biohistorical work and the diversity of social theoretical perspectives that researchers' work may relate to. The volume defines scales of biohistorical engagement, providing readers with a critical sense of scale and the different paths to 'historical notoriety' that can emerge with respect to human remains.

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