Diversity and Inclusion in Forensic Anthropology

Abstract

Diversity and inclusion have proven vital for increasing innovation, success, and performance in a myriad of fields; however, as with many other scientific disciplines, forensic anthropology’s history and lack of critical self-assessment have resulted in impediments to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment. Therefore, the field should reflect on its current membership and culture and devise strategies to address deficiencies. To begin evaluating the current state of diversity and inclusion in forensic anthropology, a survey was distributed to Anthropology Section members of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) in 2018. A total of 211 students and professionals responded, and 32.4% self-identified as a member of an underrepresented group. The results indicate that 63.4% believe that forensic anthropology exhibits little diversity; that 73.4% consider this lack of diversity problematic; and that 84.3% believe the Anthropology Section should do more to recruit and retain diverse forensic anthropologists. Heterogeneity is perceived to be the greatest at the undergraduate level, with diversity decreasing in vertical movement through graduate, postdoctoral, and/or professional statuses. Moreover, the results suggest that discrimination and exclusion have a negative effect on our community, as they may lead to attrition of those with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. We propose actions that may help to mitigate the negative effects of meritocracy, discrimination/harassment, and exclusion to evolve toward a culture of diversity. These include regularly tracking demographic information on AAFS membership, reassessing graduate admissions requirements and indicators of success, creating mechanisms for reporting discrimination/harassment, implementing targeted outreach, and developing mentorship opportunities.

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

“…Anthropologists have long been engaging with racialization and the structural violence of racial disparity, white supremacy, and racism; arguably beginning with Professor W. Montague Cobb (see for example his 1936 paper on the debunking of scientific racism applied to famous Black athletes 6 ), and notably including extensive scholarship by Drs Faye Harrison and Michael Blakey, among several others. Recent contributions from all four subfields approach these issues by actively questioning and demonstrating how and why changes in our theoretical approaches, methods, mentorship, recruitment, and/or retention strategies can lead to an anthropological praxis that is self‐aware by diligently working to decolonize itself of white supremacist ideology 7 (see Alim & Reyes, 2011; Antón et al, 2018; Battle‐Baptiste, 2011; Beliso‐De Jesús & Pierre, 2019; Benn Torres, 2020; Blakey, 2020b; Clancy & Davis, 2019; Franklin et al, 2020; Fuentes, 2020; Harrison, 2010, 2012; Heath‐Stout & Hannigan, 2020; Lans, 2020; Meloche et al, 2020; Muller, 2020; Mullings, 2005; Nelson et al, 2017; Rana, 2019; Reardon & TallBear, 2012; Shankar, 2017; Tallman & Bird, in press; Watkins, 2020; Winburn et al, in press; among others).…”

“…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). In contrast, the vast majority (87%) of forensic anthropology practitioners in the United States are white (Tallman & Bird, in press; Winburn et al, in press), to include 100% of the Board of Directors of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology.…”

The need to incorporate human variation and evolutionary theory in forensic anthropology: A call for reform

“…Further, we need to explore how such practices serve to deter scholars who identify as non-White from entering the discipline of forensic anthropology. In a recent survey of the Anthropology section of the AAFS, Tallman and Bird (2021) found that 13/3% of all respondents and only 9.5% of those holding a PhD with ABFA certification identified as non-White. While there may be many factors that deter scholars from pursuing an advanced degree, such as being a first-generation university graduate, prohibitive associated costs, and the long academic trajectory culminating in a lower pay return compared to other disciplinesthe role of systemic racism and forensic anthropology's role in perpetuating a biological concept of race should not be overlooked.…”

“…Evaluating how we teach and do research on human variation is only one step in creating a diverse and inclusive discipline. As practitioners and scholars we also need to evaluate how we accept students for graduate programs, perform outreach, the language we use in professional and public settings, hiring practices, mentorship, and how we define and acknowledge excellence (Pilloud & Passalacqua, n.d.;Passalacqua & Pilloud, 2018;Tallman & Bird, 2021;Winburn et al, in press).…”

What makes a “good” forensic anthropologist?

“…Finally, the vast majority reported either conducting casework (66, or 64 percent) or assisting with casework (27, or 26 percent), with only 10 (9.7 percent) reporting no casework within the last year. Because our sample (and the discipline; Tallman and Bird, 2022) is overwhelmingly white and female, we omitted race and gender identifiers in any comments included here to maintain confidentiality.…”