Anthropology of Violent Death

Theoretical Foundations for Forensic Humanitarian Action

Roberto C. Parra, Douglas H. Ubelaker

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781119806363
• eBook ISBN: 9781119806370
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Forensic Medicine

The first book to specifically focus on the theoretical foundations of humanitarian forensic science

Anthropology of Violent Death: Theoretical Foundations for Forensic Humanitarian Action consolidates the concepts and theories that are central to securing the posthumous dignity of the deceased, respecting their memories, and addressing the needs of the surviving populations affected. Focusing on the social and cultural significance of the deceased, this much-needed volume develops a theoretical framework that extends the role of humanitarian workers and specifically the actions of forensic scientists beyond an exclusively legal and technical approach.

Anthropology of Violent Death is designed to inspire and alerts the scientific community, authorities, and the justice systems to think and take actions to avoid the moral injury in society and cultures due to grave disrespect against humanity, its memories and reconciliation. Humanitarian forensic science faces the role of mediator between the deceased and those who are still alive to guarantee the respect and dignity of humanity. Contributions from renowned experts address post-mortem dignity, cultural perceptions of violent death and various mortuary sites, the forms and critical effects of the so-called forensic turn and humanitarian action, the treatment of violent death in post-conflict societies, respect for the dead under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Islamic law, the ethical management of the death of migrants, and much more.

• In an increasingly violent world, this volume, develops a theoretical component for death management in scenarios where humanitarian action is required
• Facilities better understanding between the social sciences, the forensic sciences, and justice systems in situations involving violent death
• Discusses the latest theories from leading scholars and practitioners to enhance the activities of forensic scientists and authorities who have the difficult responsibility of making decisions
• It provides a better understanding of the humanitarian and cultural dilemmas in the face of violent death episodes, and the unresolved needs of the dignity of the deceased during armed conflicts, disasters, migration crises, including everyday homicides

Anthropology of Violent Death: Theoretical Foundations for Forensic Humanitarian Action is an indispensable resource for forensic scientists, humanitarian workers, human rights defenders, and government and non-governmental officials.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• About the editors
• List of contributors
• Foreword
• Preface
• Series Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1 The anthropology of violent death and the treatment of the bodies: an introduction
• Chapter 2 The posthumous dignity of dead persons
• Chapter 3 Continuing bonds and social memory: absence–presence
• Chapter 4 The archaeology of disappearance
• Chapter 5 Bioarchaeology of violent death
• Chapter 6 Destruction, mass violence, and human remains: Dealing with dead bodies as a “total social phenomenon”
• Chapter 7 Kill, kill again and destroy: when death is not enough
• Chapter 8 Mourning violent deaths and disappearances
• Chapter 9 Whose humanitarianism, whose forensic anthropology?
• Chapter 10 Battlefields and killed in action: tombs of the unknown soldier and commemoration
• Chapter 11 Mass grave protection and missing persons
• Chapter 12 Respect for the dead under international law and Islamic law in armed conflicts
• Chapter 13 Unmaking forgotten mass graves and honorable burials: engaging with the Spanish civil war legacy
• Chapter 14 Dealing with bad death in post-conflict societies: forensic devices, burials of exhumed remains, and mourning processes in Peru
• Chapter 15 Migrant death and the ethics of visual documentation in forensic anthropology
• Chapter 16 Bedeviling binaries: an integrated and dialectical approach to forensic anthropology in northern Uganda
• Chapter 17 Guiding principles for the dignified management of the dead in humanitarian emergencies and to prevent them from becoming missing persons
• Chapter 18 Epilog: Anthropology of violent death and forensic humanitarian action
• Index
• EULA