Bioarchaeological Research in Argentina. Past, Present and Future Challenges

MARÍA A. BORDACH; OSVALDO J. MENDONÇA; MARIO A. ARRIETA; LILA BERNARDI

Archaeological Human Remains. Global Perspectives

Springer

Año: 2014; p. 13 - 27

In this paper, we explore and discuss the theoretical approaches that have shaped osteological studies in Argentina over the past several decades. Initially, from the second half of the XIX century until well beyond the first half of XX century, the influence of European approaches based on racial types as well as diffusion theories and methods predominated. Most leading figures in academic life sustained racial, typological and diffusionistic approaches. Human remains were considered and studied separately from their contextual associations, and used mostly as sources of typological and racial analyses. However, since the early seventies, and due to a growing academic influence from both American and European scholars, osteological research in Argentina has become increasingly grounded in modern bioarchaeological techniques and results interpreted within bioarchaelogy theories as well as those related to social dimensions of mortuary behavior. While this evolution parallels changes in the field elsewhere, some bioarchaeological studies still use inappropriate samples and methods which lead to biased data analysis, and overly simplistic interpretations. Furthermore, in the last few years, native communities started to claim for their rights to land ownership and archaeological patrimony. This has become a major legal and academic issue that poses a real challenge to those scholars honestly and seriously interested in the reconstruction of the past through bioarchaeological research