Grappling with overexposures and refusal in diasporic bioarchaeological research
Despite the growing emphasis in skeletal research on descendant community collaboration and conceptualization of remains as complex and inherently valuable, tensions persist in skeletal analysis. The process of recording bone measurements and later integrating them into a composite interpretation of a person forces researchers to dramatically pivot between seeing remains as scientific objects and as individuals with intricate past and present lives. This process risks overexposing the intimate histories of the dead or projecting false life onto them. This talk will apply these considerations to case studies in St. Helena and Barbados to show how critically grappling with these concepts of overexposure can inspire new theoretical and methodological possibilities. Notably, in St. Helena, local artists’ artistic interpretations of their ancestors at the site of Rupert’s Valley highlight the ways that bioarchaeological data and images can be vectors for commemoration and introspection.
Supported by The Kauffman Endowment for Excellence.