Forensic Archaeology - the creation of bodies as evidence

 

 

Connected to my interests in landscape I also carry out research on the embodied production of archaeological knowledge, and its representation. In particular I have written about the forensic excavations of the graves of 'Disappeared' people in Argentina. This work analyses the social and spatial context of the excavations in order to understand the strong and polarised reactions to the archaeological work. My published research places the forensic excavations of the disappeared within the context of social and political struggles over the memory of the violence of the years of the repression, and demands to construct a new unified identity for Argentina in its aftermath. As relatives and survivors of the disappeared fight against 'forgetting', and the perceived impunity of those responsible, the excavations have become a focal point for control over the 'voices' of the dead.

 

 

 

 

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