Where Are They? Missing, Forensics, and Memory

Abstract

This paper explores the roles of forensic anthropology, archeology, and forensic investigations in transitional justice processes from a Global South perspective. The aftermath of Peru's internal conflict as well as other Latin American cases are discussed to examine the possible connections between the social conditions of victims and the effectiveness of the investigative efforts. At present, global politics of memory are not as inclusive as they should to attain true guarantees of nonrepetition. In many countries of the Global South there are no national search strategies or revised public policies for the search of missing persons, and in many places the families of the victims, victims themselves, are not acknowledged stakeholders with a voice, and are simply neglected in investigations, which often focus in prosecutions and much less so in victim identification or restoration. Forensic investigators need to gather as much antemortem and postmortem data as possible to fully understand the roles of both perpetrators and victims at the time of the events, and, in certain contexts, to do so, they face the need to develop multitasking skills. More applicable scientific standards and emic categories that both investigators and victims can understand should be developed. Forensic investigators can contribute substantially to advocacy supporting human rights against impunity and exclusion, transcending the strict scientific sphere.

In search of identity: The field of forensic anthropology in Brazil—Profession and practice

“…Our respondents were chiefly [7] forensic pathologists or forensic medical doctors and [6] were forensic odontologists. Two were forensic assistants, and one was occupying an administrative position.…”

“…Such differences lead to a situation in which people of the same country cannot expect to receive the same quality of service from the same public agencies in different states. This result is highly prejudicial, as inefficient forensic anthropology can be subsumed under a violation of basic human rights [6]. Therefore, there is an urgent need for creating and developing national strategies and policies that could improve and unify the quality of forensic anthropology across the country, guarantee common formal academic background of the practitioners, and assure the universality of practical aspects of anthropological examinations (e.g., national databases and common protocols) and better communication among the IMLs.…”

“…In various European countries, as well as in South Africa, important steps are being undertaken in order to regularize this field, but significant divergencies persist [5]. In South America, as described by Baraybar and Blackwell [6], the development of forensic sciences had a different trajectory than in northern countries and represents a contrasting level of development.…”

“…In South America, due to generational circumstances and long‐term geopolitical situations, the rates of criminality and homicides have risen, sadly providing an exceptionally fertile environment for the practice of forensic anthropology. As Baraybar and Blackwell [6] have observed, countries such as Argentina, Guatemala, Colombia, and Brazil (among other South American countries) developed the practice of forensic anthropology in response to a practical need, not academic interest and/or historical tradition. As a result, the structure of the professional field in this area is often chaotic, lacking regularization and legislative support.…”

Burning and Rebuilding Bridges: Forensic Infrastructures in War and its Aftermath

“…What does forensics add to the burgeoning anthropological study of infrastructure? My understanding of infrastructure draws on forensic anthropology (Baraybar and Blackwell 2014;Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica 2015;Ferrándiz, Robben and Wilson 2015;Hunter 2014;Joyce and Stover 1991;Koff 2005;Peress and Stover 1998;Sanford 2003;Verdery 2000) and the emerging field of forensic architecture (Architecture 2014;Forensic Architecture: Home 2016;Graham 2008;Herscher 2010;Joselit 2015;Keegan 2009;Weizman 2012Weizman , 2014Weizman and Herscher 2011;Weizman and Manfredi 2013). The fields of forensic engineering and architecture entail investigating structural failures in order to ascribe blame and prevent future disasters (Architecture 2014;Petroski 1992Petroski , 1996Weizman 2012).…”