Dialog Across States and Agencies: Juggling Ethical Concerns of Forensic Anthropologists North of the US-Mexico Border

Bird, Cate E.; Maiers, Justin

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-61866-1_12

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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Section: Justice Justice Thou Shalt Pursuementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, we take our initial critique a step further. In general, forensic anthropological casework in the United States consists disproportionately of marginalized individuals (Bird & Maiers, 2018), many of whom in life would likely have identified as BIPOC. Unpublished forensic anthropological case data from the Wayne County, Michigan Medical Examiner's Office (which includes Detroit) support this trend (M. K. Moore, personal communication, 28 September 2020).…”

Section: Justice Justice Thou Shalt Pursuementioning

confidence: 99%

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Uncloaking a Lost Cause: Decolonizing ancestry estimation in the United States

DiGangi

Bethard

2021

American J Phys Anthropol

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Since the professionalization of US-based forensic anthropology in the 1970s, ancestry estimation has been included as a standard part of the biological profile, because practitioners have assumed it necessary to achieve identifications in medicolegal contexts. Simultaneously, forensic anthropologists have not fully considered the racist context of the criminal justice system in the United States related to the treatment of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; nor have we considered that ancestry estimation might actually hinder identification efforts because of entrenched racial biases.Despite ongoing criticisms from mainstream biological anthropology that ancestry estimation perpetuates race science, forensic anthropologists have continued the practice. Recent years have seen the prolific development of retooled typological approaches with 21st century statistical prowess to include methods for estimating ancestry from cranial morphoscopic traits, despite no evidence that these traits reflect microevolutionary processes or are suitable genetic proxies for population structure; and such approaches have failed to critically evaluate the societal consequences for perpetuating the biological race concept. Around the country, these methods are enculturated in every aspect of the discipline ranging from university classrooms, to the board-certification examination marking the culmination of training, to standard operating procedures adopted by forensic anthropology laboratories.Here, we use critical race theory to interrogate the approaches utilized to estimate ancestry to include a critique of the continued use of morphoscopic traits, and we assert that the practice of ancestry estimation contributes to white supremacy. Based on the lack of scientific support that these traits reflect evolutionary history, and the inability to disentangle skeletal-based ancestry estimates from supporting the biological validity of race, we urge all forensic anthropologists to abolish the practice of ancestry estimation.

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Section: Justice Justice Thou Shalt Pursuementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Justice Justice Thou Shalt Pursuementioning

confidence: 99%