DIGNITY, AUTHORITY, PRESERVATION: ETHICAL DILEMMAS IN THE BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL PRACTICE IN URUGUAY

Abstract

The ethics of the analysis of ancient human remains in anthropology consists of three basic guiding principles, included with variations in most of the ethical codes of the discipline: the dignified treatment of the remains, the authority of the descendants over the fate of the remains, and the guarantee of their preservation and safeguard. These principles, broadly formulated, conflict with each other and with various situations that arise in research practice, especially in bioarchaeological research in the Americas. This paper presents a series of practical scenarios linked to bioarchaeological practice in Uruguay, and then discusses their relationship with the three basic principles while offering some keys for the resolution of the dilemmas that emerge between principles and practice. The application of the principle of dignity is highly contingent to situation and context, ultimately implying the careful handling of remains and avoiding their display as much as possible. It also implies the imperative of the archaeological intervention of threatened sites. The principle of authority over the fate of the remains implies for Uruguay a strong emphasis on a dialogue that is still incipient and lacking a legal framework regarding pre-Hispanic skeletal remains with a range of indigenous groups. Finally, the principle of conservation is considered crucial both for its academic implications and its significance for the sustainability and local development of the discipline.