"It’s not a science isolated in a bubble": Grave Encounters in Forensic Anthropology in Colombia and Peru
Abstract
My doctoral research explores the experience of forensic anthropologists in places of sociopolitical unrest, specifically focusing on Colombia and Peru. Forensic anthropologists, who specialise in identifying skeletal remains, analysing skeletal trauma, and providing expert opinions on the circumstances of death, often serve as expert witnesses in legal proceedings. However, in Latin America, the concept of witnessing extends beyond the courtroom, encompassing a broader spectrum of knowledge generation. This dissertation examines the diverse encounters faced by forensic anthropologists in Colombia and Peru, including encounters with human remains and the legacies of political violence, encounters with the families of the missing, perpetrators, and a precarious institutional landscape. I argue that these encounters shape the moral experience of forensic anthropologists – making them not only unwanted witnesses but moral witnesses – and exposing them to specific risks, dangers, stressors, and emotional impacts. The research presented here suggests that the entire context of forensic anthropological work can potentially shape forensic anthropologists in profound ways. The findings indicate that the impact on forensic anthropologists extends beyond the immediate tasks they perform, such as interacting with bereaved families or encountering perpetrators of violence. The broader sociopolitical landscape, characterised by pervasive violence and precarity, also plays a significant role in shaping these professionals.My findings suggest that the knowledge forensic anthropologists produce, the things they witness, and the sociopolitical context they operate in all contribute to shaping their personal lives and decisions. The research further posits that the conditions under which forensic anthropologists work create an environment conducive to moral injury – an injury to one’s moral conscience which stems from witnessing or participating in events that go against one’s moral beliefs. These same conditions and contexts provide the discursive and practical resources that forensic anthropologists utilise to manage their experiences, cope with their work’s psychological and emotional impacts and navigate the multifaceted challenges inherent in their profession.