- Donostia. Gipuzkoa. España
- I am an ethnographer of science and technology. I have been working on technologies of memory practices and knowledge... moreI am an ethnographer of science and technology. I have been working on technologies of memory practices and knowledge productions regarding processes of dealing with the past. My main focus has been on forensic specialists and the in-between place in which they are positioned as fundamental actors for investigating and identifying victims and perpetrators, while at the same time their qualitative experiences as main actors go largely overlooked. I am currently addressing the work of forensic specialists working on the Colombian armed conflict.edit
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BackgroundOver the last decade, the population of childhood cancer survivors has rapidly increased in Latin America, opening a long chapter of challenges for healthcare providers in these countries to provide follow‐up and adult... more
BackgroundOver the last decade, the population of childhood cancer survivors has rapidly increased in Latin America, opening a long chapter of challenges for healthcare providers in these countries to provide follow‐up and adult care.AimIn the process of exploring childhood cancer parent and patient engagement in resource‐limited settings, we highlight the challenges faced by Latin American survivors from El Salvador, Mexico, and Peru as they transitioned from receiving cancer treatment to life as a cancer survivors.Methods and ResultsFocus group discussions and interviews were performed as part of a larger qualitative study involving 10 low and middle‐income countries in four continents regarding patient and caregiver engagement in childhood cancer treatment. We present the results of the Latin‐American survivors and their experiences finishing treatment and life outside the pediatric oncology follow‐up system. Themes regarding a) losing eligibility for pediatric surveillance and c...
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Research Interests: Forensics, Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Science, Politics, Justice, and 15 moreForensic Archaeology, Forensic Sciences, Estudios sobre Violencia y Conflicto, Antropologia forense, Neutrality, Arqueologia y antropologia forense y fisica, Justiça, Antropología forense, Justicia, Teorías de la verdad, Mass Violence, Criminalistica Y Ciencias Forenses, Ciencias Forenses, Forensic research, and Latin Americans
LATIN AMERICA<br> Author Olarte-Sierra's interviews with two paediatric oncology nurses and one adult oncology nurse detail their experiences with COVID-19 in Perú, El Salvador, and Mexico, respectively. The nurses speak about... more
LATIN AMERICA<br> Author Olarte-Sierra's interviews with two paediatric oncology nurses and one adult oncology nurse detail their experiences with COVID-19 in Perú, El Salvador, and Mexico, respectively. The nurses speak about the donations from local NGOs they received to address resource shortages. However, the author notes, "What was apparent from these nurses' experiences was the heaviest weight that COVID-19 has brought has been a redefinition of what care and caring are and what this implies for oncology nurses—which is not necessarily for the better." All three nurses talk about the loss of normal expressions of social affection with their families and their patients and the suffering they endure about this.<br> -----------<br> Ecancer Special Issue, December 2021 Oncology nursing and the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 in the Global South Supplement
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Due to its scientific basis, forensic knowledge is regarded as truth telling and has evidence status in court. However, forensic experts’ knowledge (like any other form of knowledge) is situated and partial. Those who produce it are... more
Due to its scientific basis, forensic knowledge is regarded as truth telling and has evidence status in court. However, forensic experts’ knowledge (like any other form of knowledge) is situated and partial. Those who produce it are placed in specific moments in history, inhabit particular geopolitical positions and can account for only the specific context in which they occur. In this chapter, we look at how forensic knowledge practices must be seen and understood as coordinated technolegal practices that sustain particular technolegal worlds in the context of the Colombian armed conflict that enacts specific kinds of victims. That is, we argue that to contribute to richer forms of victim reparation, inclusive memory practices and transparent (transitional) justice processes, forensic knowledge practices can be seen as coordinated practices which help in restoring victims’ identity and personhood. This approach has the potential to contribute to the enactment of richer and wider understandings and nuances of the Colombian armed conflict. The kind of forensic knowledge that we engage with is the one that belongs to and is produced in the framework of the criminal justice system.
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In this audio-visual essay, I explore Colombian forensic experts’ embodied knowledge of the armed conflict, specifically about how it is accounted for and produced from and by their work. I argue that forensic experts’ embodied knowledge... more
In this audio-visual essay, I explore Colombian forensic experts’ embodied knowledge of the armed conflict, specifically about how it is accounted for and produced from and by their work. I argue that forensic experts’ embodied knowledge provides information not only on victim identification and the nuances of violence but also produces geographies of terror that materialize the overarching effect of protracted violence on a given territory and its people. I do so through their stories and their voices, and show that due to the magnitude of the armed conflict and the fact that it has spread all over the country, forensic experts have an extensive understanding of both the country’s geography and the dynamics of violence. This experience produces a version of the relationship between the two, which is marked and informed by forensic experts’ embodied experience of searching for and exhuming victims. However, from their experiences of dealing with the horrors of war, it also becomes evident that practices of reconciliation occur amidst the protracted violence and that they take place through, around, and with forensic practice.
I develop my argument in three steps: First, I focus on forensic experts’ experiences and enactments of Colombia as a country marked by violence, and how geography and violence have melded and as a result have produced geography that cannot be separated from the violence that it has endured. Second, I address the effect forensic experts’ work has on their bodies, which carry the inscriptions of the war in physical and emotional ways. Third, I focus on experiences, stories, and knowledge become sites of hope that make evident their role as actors.
Each step is accompanied by animated illustrations and sound–films. These contribute to and complement the narrative through the combination of forensic experts’ voices and illustrations of their main messages. The films are to be played and listened to where indicated in the text as they are counterparts to the stories and allow for silence and other voices (that are not mine) to be present simultaneously. In this sense, not all conclusions or statements are written. Instead, I open the space up to provide room for reflection, speculation, and imagination to be part of the experience of this piece. To do so, and to be able to attend to forensic experts’ experiences, we (the readers and I) must engage with their stories, listen to them, and take them seriously.
I develop my argument in three steps: First, I focus on forensic experts’ experiences and enactments of Colombia as a country marked by violence, and how geography and violence have melded and as a result have produced geography that cannot be separated from the violence that it has endured. Second, I address the effect forensic experts’ work has on their bodies, which carry the inscriptions of the war in physical and emotional ways. Third, I focus on experiences, stories, and knowledge become sites of hope that make evident their role as actors.
Each step is accompanied by animated illustrations and sound–films. These contribute to and complement the narrative through the combination of forensic experts’ voices and illustrations of their main messages. The films are to be played and listened to where indicated in the text as they are counterparts to the stories and allow for silence and other voices (that are not mine) to be present simultaneously. In this sense, not all conclusions or statements are written. Instead, I open the space up to provide room for reflection, speculation, and imagination to be part of the experience of this piece. To do so, and to be able to attend to forensic experts’ experiences, we (the readers and I) must engage with their stories, listen to them, and take them seriously.
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Resumen: ya tenemos cuarenta años de experiencia en América Latina en la aplicación de la antropología y la arqueología forense para la búsqueda de personas desaparecidas e investigaciones de violaciones graves de derechos humanos y del... more
Resumen: ya tenemos cuarenta años de experiencia en América Latina en la aplicación de la antropología y la arqueología forense para la búsqueda de personas desaparecidas e investigaciones de violaciones graves de derechos humanos y del derecho humanitario internacional. A pesar de esta larga trayectoria de trabajo muy importante, lxs protagonistas más impactantes del meta-análisis en la literatura del trabajo forense y su impacto en los últimos años no han sido lxs científicxs forenses mismxs, sino lxs científicxs sociales. Este artículo introduce el dosier “Prácticas forenses y violencia en masa: perspectivas contemporáneas y retos investigativos”, un trabajo que une a lxs practicantes —incluidxs familiares de lxs desparecidxs— con investigadorxs académicxs, rompiendo una división estructural, social y artificial. Esta fuerza unida entre académicxs y practicantes refleja mejor el trabajo en su totalidad que incluye y resalta las metas no solo de búsqueda, recuperación, análisis e identificación, sino también de restitución y entrega. Esta introducción enfatiza los debates que están ausentes en muchas de las revistas científicas-forenses: el impacto de la política sobre las investigaciones y el producto político de las investigaciones. Asimismo, recalca las discusiones aún presentes sobre cuestiones de objetividad, neutralidad y el valor de un abordaje que involucra o es dirigido por familiares. En este dosier veremos una adaptación y evolución de la disciplina desde su forma particular latinoamericana, tanto en las distintas expresiones que ha tenido en la región como en la manera en que se ha expresado en el trabajo de profesionales latinoamericanxs en casos extranjeros como el de la antigua Yugoslavia. Palabras clave: antropología forense, arqueología forense, justicia, verdad, violencia en masa. Forensic Practices and Mass Violence: Contemporary Perspectives and Research Challenges Abstract: We already have forty years of experience in Latin America in the application of anthropology and forensic archaeology to the search for missing persons and investigations of gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Despite this long trajectory of very important work, the most striking protagonists of meta-analysis in the forensic work literature and its impact in recent years have not been the forensic scientists themselves, but social scientists. This article introduces the dossier “Forensic Practices and Mass Violence: Contemporary Perspectives and Research Challenges,” a work that brings together practitioners —including relatives of the missing— with academic researchers, breaking down a structural, social and artificial divide. The joining of forces between academics and practitioners better reflects the work as a whole that includes and highlights the goals concerning search, recovery, analysis, and identification, but also those concerning restitution. This introduction emphasizes debates that are absent in many forensic science journals: the impact of politics on research and the political product of research, although we still have debates about questions of objectivity, neutrality, and the value of a family-driven or family-involved approach. In this dossier, we examine the adaptation and evolution of the discipline from its particular Latin American form, both in the different expressions it has taken in the region and in the way it has been expressed in the work of Latin American professionals in foreign cases such as that of the former Yugoslavia. Keywords: Forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology, justice, mass violence, truth. Práticas forenses e violência em massa: perspectivas contemporâneas e desafios para a pesquisa Resumo: já temos 40 anos de experiência na América Latina na aplicação da antropologia e da arqueologia forenses para buscar pessoas desaparecidas e para as investigações de violações graves de direitos humanos e do direito humanitário internacional. Embora essa longa trajetória de trabalho seja muito importante, os protagonistas mais impactantes da metanálise na literatura do trabalho forense e seu impacto nos últimos anos não vêm sendo os cientistas forenses em si, mas sim os cientistas sociais. Este artigo introduz o dossiê “Práticas forenses e violência em massa: perspectivas contemporâneas e desafios para a pesquisa”, um trabalho que une os praticantes — incluídos os familiares dos desaparecidos — com pesquisadores, quebrando com uma divisão estrutural, social e artificial. Essa força unida entre acadêmicos e praticantes reflete melhor o trabalho em sua totalidade, que inclui e ressalta as metas não somente de busca, recuperação, análise e identificação, mas também de restituição e entrega. Esta introdução enfatiza os debates que estão ausentes em muitas das revistas científico-forenses: o impacto da política sobre as investigações e o produto político destas. Além disso, salienta as discussões ainda presentes sobre questões de objetividade,…
Research Interests: Forensics, Forensic Anthropology, Forensic Science, Truth, Justice, and 15 moreForensic Archaeology, Forensic Sciences, Estudios sobre Violencia y Conflicto, Antropologia forense, Violência, Arqueologia y antropologia forense y fisica, Verdade, Justiça, Antropología forense, Justicia, Teorías de la verdad, Mass Violence, Criminalistica Y Ciencias Forenses, Ciencias Forenses, and Forensic research
Prácticas forenses y violencia en masa: perspectivas contemporáneas y retos investigativos | 3-17
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Research Interests: Physics, Forensic Anthropology, Philosophy, Peace and Conflict Studies, Anthropology of the Body, and 15 moreKnowledge Production, Cuerpo, Corpo, Conflicto armado colombiano, Justiça De Transição, Justicia Transicional, Colombian Armed Conflict, Falsos Positivos, False positives, conflito armado colombiano, Fosas paramilitares, Conocimiento forense, Paramilitary graves, Conhecimento forense, and Fossas paramilitares
In 2005, Colombia enacted the Justice and Peace Law, which was a transitional framework for addressing the legal status of demobilised members of the paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia [United Self-Defence of Colombia] and... more
In 2005, Colombia enacted the Justice and Peace Law, which was a transitional framework for addressing the legal status of demobilised members of the paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia [United Self-Defence of Colombia] and other armed groups. In exchange for providing intelligence on the whereabouts of the bodies of people these groups had kidnapped and killed, prison sentences could be reduced. Forensic experts from the Attorney General's Offi ce were in charge of exhuming and identifying the bodies, placing them centre-stage as a source of scientifi c evidence, testimony and authority based on their presumed objectivity and non-prejudicial approach. However, forensic knowledge, like all knowledge, is situated, partial and performative. Here, I attend to the eff ects of forensic knowledge on victims' right to truth, memory practices and the administration of justice under the Justice and Peace Law. I argue that forensic knowledge co-produces confl ict by producing victims and perpetrators whose identities and stories can be at odds with other accounts of the violence that occurred.
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In mid-2020, a call was made to oncology nurses in the Global South to share their experiences managing patient care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Eighteen submissions were received from 16 countries across... more
In mid-2020, a call was made to oncology nurses in the Global South to share their experiences managing patient care during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Eighteen submissions were received from 16 countries across Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia. Three were research-based and 15 were personal narratives on the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on the nurses, colleagues, patients and families. Three narratives were from oncology nurses working with cancer-related non-governmental organisations locally or, in one case, internationally. A simultaneous literature search for publications (including grey literature) was performed to identify themes of COVID-19’s impact in these 16 countries and specifically on oncology nurses and patients/families. Four themes were identified: a) interruptions to care; b) support/resource shortages; c) psychosocial impact on nurses and patients and d) staffing and nursing role impacts. The three research-based studies describe onc...
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This article explores the sociocultural aspects of a program of pediatric cardiology health brigades that provides care to children from low-income populations in peripheral regions of Colombia. We analyzed the brigades as a humanitarian... more
This article explores the sociocultural aspects of a program of pediatric cardiology health brigades that provides care to children from low-income populations in peripheral regions of Colombia. We analyzed the brigades as a humanitarian strategy to close the gaps of inequity in access to health care, and as a particular context of the medical encounter, the experience of heart disease and the definition of care trajectories. Based on ethnographic observation of brigades and interviews with families receiving care and with health personnel, carried out in 2016 in five different cities, we looked at the dynamics that shape the medical encounter and questioned the mechanisms (medical and social) through which it is evaluated and decided which families can access care in Bogota. We conclude that the brigades, as initiatives that continue to be anchored in humanitarism instead of contributing to the transformation of the conditions that generate health inequities, reproduce and exacerba...
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ABSTRACT In Colombia, as in other Latin American countries, current population genetics research is based on the understanding that Colombians constitute a mestizo nation, given the admixture process that took place between Africans,... more
ABSTRACT In Colombia, as in other Latin American countries, current population genetics research is based on the understanding that Colombians constitute a mestizo nation, given the admixture process that took place between Africans, Amerindians, and Europeans during colonial times. The mestizo is a pervasive category used by geneticists to conduct, organise, and publish research studies that deal with the continent&#39;s peopling process and the genetic makeup of its contemporary population(s). It is also the dominant imaginary for the Colombian population and a key nation-building ideology. By tracing how this category moves and is used across four Colombian genetics laboratories, it is possible to discern that despite its apparently clear-cut boundaries, the mestizo is contingent, contested, and flexible, allowing for multiple understandings and usages. This flexibility and multiplicity are visible in the quantification of genetic ancestry, the divisions of geographical location, and the understanding of gender. Such understandings allow one to think about a homogeneous nation (inclusive) that is simultaneously heterogeneous (exclusive); they provide multiple but not necessarily contradictory possibilities of being mestizo, allowing the coexistence of images of the nation that could otherwise seem contradictory; and they permit navigation around contested terms such as race, while simultaneously thinking of mixed races or racialised individuals. Finally, these flexible and multiple constructions of the mestizo (re)produce various subjects as ‘other’, whether they are women, the Indigenous, the black/dark, or the poor.
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En este texto abordamos cómo las prácticas forenses de investigación e identificación participan en la producción de ciertos tipos de víctimas y de perpetrador en el marco del conflicto armado colombiano. Argumentamos que la... more
En este texto abordamos cómo las prácticas forenses de investigación e identificación participan en la producción de ciertos tipos de víctimas y de perpetrador en el marco del conflicto armado colombiano. Argumentamos que la identificación forense, como cualquier otra práctica, produce aquello que estudia. Acá nos referimos al caso conocido como los “falsos positivos”: jóvenes civiles, sin nexos con grupos guerrilleros, que fueron engañados con falsas promesas de trabajo para luego ser encontrados muertos y presentados como bajas guerrilleras en combate. En cuanto a los perpetradores, fueron miembros de las Fuerzas Militares quienes realizaron las ejecuciones extrajudiciales de población civil con el fin de transmitir la idea de que la guerra contra el terrorismo se estaba ganando. Nuestro trabajo aborda el quehacer de expertos forenses de la Fiscalía General de la Nación de Colombia y nos basamos en datos recopilados a través de una combinación de conversaciones (auto)etnográficas ...
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This paper shows how the hospital bed is constructed in different ways through human practice and meaning making as cultural, economic, political and symbolic space. We draw on ethnographic research done in training hospitals in South... more
This paper shows how the hospital bed is constructed in different ways through human practice and meaning making as cultural, economic, political and symbolic space. We draw on ethnographic research done in training hospitals in South Africa and in the Netherlands to highlight the dissimilar conditions under which people get access to hospital beds, are treated and discharged or die. By giving attention to the bed spaces in different settings, and especially in a wealthy country with good hospital infrastructure and abundant resources, such as the Netherlands, and juxtaposing it with a resource poor country like South Africa we highlighted the similarities and differences in meanings and practices related to such beds in poor developing, and wealthy developed countries.
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We welcome submissions in English, Spanish or Portuguese from different disciplines and perspectives
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En este texto abordamos cómo las prácticas forenses de investigación e identificación participan en la producción de ciertos tipos de víctimas y de perpetradores en el marco del conflicto armado colombiano. Argumentamos que la... more
En este texto abordamos cómo las prácticas forenses de investigación e identificación participan en la producción de ciertos tipos de víctimas y de perpetradores en el marco del conflicto armado colombiano. Argumentamos que la identificación forense, como cualquier otra práctica, produce aquello que estudia. Acá nos referimos al caso conocido como los «falsos positivos»: jóvenes civiles, sin nexos con grupos guerrilleros, que fueron engañados con falsas promesas de trabajo para luego ser encontrados muertos y presentados como bajas guerrilleras en combate. En cuanto a los perpetradores, fueron miembros de las Fuerzas Militares quienes realizaron las ejecuciones extrajudiciales de población civil con el fin de transmitir la idea de que la guerra contra el terrorismo se estaba ganando. Nuestro trabajo aborda el quehacer de expertos forenses de la Fiscalía General de la Nación de Colombia y nos basamos en datos recopilados a través de una combinación de conversaciones (auto)etnográficas y reflexivas sostenidas por los autores, entrevistas con cuatro peritos forenses de la Fiscalía e investigación de archivo. Esta manera de acercarse a la producción de conocimiento forense hace posible que podamos entender a estos expertos como actores activos (y no simples testigos) del conflicto armado, en la medida en que participan de la producción tanto de las víctimas como de los perpetradores.
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Qualitative research of brigades and the family experience of congenital heart disease is of current interest and has been previously neglected. This study aimed to explore the social factors conditioning outcomes of paediatric cardiology... more
Qualitative research of brigades and the family experience of congenital heart disease is of current interest and has been previously neglected. This study aimed to explore the social factors conditioning outcomes of paediatric cardiology care in the setting of Colombian medical brigades and to identify feasible strategies to improve the experience of the beneficiary populations. Participants were selected using purposeful sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of logistic and health care teams, caregivers and custodians of beneficiary children of the Programme. The data collected provided an understanding of the health culture, social background, household and intrafamily dynamics. The outcomes of the Programme are influenced by sociocultural dynamics such as communication gaps and the socioeconomic status of the beneficiary populations. Findings may be specific to brigades, but also cross-relevant to any family experience of a new diagnosis of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) communicating with healthcare professionals. It is important to foresee the role and further development of the Programme. Recommendations are provided suggesting innovative work by means of telemedicine and other sociocultural measures to reduce healthcare inequity and strengthen comprehensive healthcare programmes.
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En este artículo exploramos cómo los medios de comunicación colombianos configuran la práctica de la genética humana, reproduciendo ciertos discursos estandarizados sobre ciencia que se encuentran atravesados por el género y la raza. Para... more
En este artículo exploramos cómo los medios de comunicación colombianos configuran la práctica de la genética humana, reproduciendo ciertos discursos estandarizados sobre ciencia que se encuentran atravesados por el género y la raza. Para este fin llevamos a cabo un análisis etnográfico de la cobertura de la genética humana (poblacional y forense) en dos de los medios de mayor penetración en el país en los periodos de 1992-2006 (periódico) y 2009-2010 (periódico y noticiero). Nuestro argumento es que por una parte, los medios de comunicación presentan a la ciencia genética como única/uniforme/objetiva/neutra/heroica. Por otro lado, presenta sujetos que son simultáneamente marcados y desmarcados en términos de raza, género, clase y geografía. Concluimos que este último mecanismo reproduce y moviliza la idea del mestizaje como una ideología de construcción de nación.
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ABSTRACT Recent work on genomics and race makes the argument that concepts and categories of race are subtly reproduced in the practice of genomic science, despite the explicit rejection of race as meaningful biological reality by many... more
ABSTRACT Recent work on genomics and race makes the argument that concepts and categories of race are subtly reproduced in the practice of genomic science, despite the explicit rejection of race as meaningful biological reality by many geneticists. Our argument in this paper is that racialized meanings in genomics, rather than standing alone, are very often wrapped up in ideas about nation. This seems to us a rather neglected aspect in the literature about genomics and race. More specifically, we characterize race as an absent presence in Latin American and argue that genomics in the region finds a particular expression of race through concepts of nation, because this vehicle suits the deep-rooted ambiguity of race in the region. To make this argument we use data from an ethnographic project with genetics labs in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.
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En este artículo exploramos cómo los medios de comunicación colombianos configuran la práctica de la genética humana, reproduciendo ciertos discursos estandarizados sobre ciencia que se encuentran atravesados por el género y la raza. Para... more
En este artículo exploramos cómo los medios de comunicación colombianos configuran la práctica de la genética humana, reproduciendo ciertos discursos estandarizados sobre ciencia que se encuentran atravesados por el género y la raza. Para este fin llevamos a cabo un análisis etnográfico de la cobertura de la genética humana (poblacional y forense) en dos de los medios de mayor penetración en el país en los periodos de 1992-2006 (periódico) y 2009-2010 (periódico y noticiero). Nuestro argumento es que por una parte, los medios de comunicación presentan a la ciencia genética como única/uniforme/objetiva/neutra/heroica. Por otro lado, presenta sujetos que son simultáneamente marcados y desmarcados en términos de raza, género, clase y geografía. Concluimos que este último mecanismo reproduce y moviliza la idea del mestizaje como una ideología de construcción de nación.
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As I set out to write about my research process with forensic anthropologists in a country with a long-lasting armed conflict, I was unable to ignore the imminent role that affect and emotions play in my practice and in my relationship... more
As I set out to write about my research process with forensic
anthropologists in a country with a long-lasting armed conflict, I
was unable to ignore the imminent role that affect and emotions
play in my practice and in my relationship with this topic. I fought
the urge to disregard the struggle implied in writing about my
own practice. Thus, I reflect on the effects and affects that this
fieldwork and its related methods have on my approach to this
topic, to the people I work and share with, and to myself. My
argument is twofold. First, if one is to acknowledge that affect and
emotions produce knowledge and that knowledge productions
have world-making effects, as researchers we need to attend to
the worlds we enact through our own research and knowledge
production practices. Second, writing and registration practices
constitute modes of research that, in themselves, produce
knowledge. I develop my argument in three steps. I reflect on the
difficulties of writing this particular text; I address my own
knowledge productions – that include my own registration
practices, and I attend to the worlds that I help to enact. I also
pay attention to others’ registration practices.
anthropologists in a country with a long-lasting armed conflict, I
was unable to ignore the imminent role that affect and emotions
play in my practice and in my relationship with this topic. I fought
the urge to disregard the struggle implied in writing about my
own practice. Thus, I reflect on the effects and affects that this
fieldwork and its related methods have on my approach to this
topic, to the people I work and share with, and to myself. My
argument is twofold. First, if one is to acknowledge that affect and
emotions produce knowledge and that knowledge productions
have world-making effects, as researchers we need to attend to
the worlds we enact through our own research and knowledge
production practices. Second, writing and registration practices
constitute modes of research that, in themselves, produce
knowledge. I develop my argument in three steps. I reflect on the
difficulties of writing this particular text; I address my own
knowledge productions – that include my own registration
practices, and I attend to the worlds that I help to enact. I also
pay attention to others’ registration practices.
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Abstract: Objective/Context: In this article, we focus on the symbolic and practical dimensions of the paramilitary’s management of the corporality of the enemy in their heyday after the unification of the United Self-Defense Forces of... more
Abstract: Objective/Context: In this article, we focus on the symbolic and
practical dimensions of the paramilitary’s management of the corporality of
the enemy in their heyday after the unification of the United Self-Defense Forces
of Colombia and followed by the military in the framework of the Democratic
Security Policy of former president Álvaro Uribe. To do so, we approach
how these dimensions materialize, become evident, and circulate in the social
sphere from the knowledge that forensic anthropologists produce about these
bodies, violence, and conflict.
Methodology: The material presented and analyzed here is the result of an ethnographic approximation to the practice of forensic anthropological experts of the Prosecution Office. We present a methodology that we call dialogical and reflexive. It combines a self-ethnographic exercise of Jaime’s practice and conversations led by María Fernanda to delve into his experiences, concepts, and practices. We feed this methodology with
interviews with three forensic anthropologists, who have similar trajectories
to Jaime’s. We also carried out archival research of the years included here.
Conclusion: In this article, we present how forensic anthropologists’ qualitative
knowledge (together with other forensic experts’ knowledge) serves both as a testimony of what happened to the bodies and, at the same time, produces the
very thing that it studies. To this extent, it co-produces conflict, violence, victims,
and perpetrators, shedding light on the political dimension to the practice
of forensic identification.
Originality: Usually, studies about the social effects of forensic sciences present forensic knowledge as a truth-telling and neutral testimony about violent events. In this article, we have focused on how forensic knowledge (like any other) co-produces the very thing that it studies. As such, we point out and reveal its profound political implications, and, to this extent, contribute to broadening what is understood by forensic knowledge in contexts
of transitional justice and its possible social effects.
Keywords: Thesaurus: Body; Colombian Armed Conflict. Authors: False positive;
forensic knowledge; paramilitary graves; transitional justice.
practical dimensions of the paramilitary’s management of the corporality of
the enemy in their heyday after the unification of the United Self-Defense Forces
of Colombia and followed by the military in the framework of the Democratic
Security Policy of former president Álvaro Uribe. To do so, we approach
how these dimensions materialize, become evident, and circulate in the social
sphere from the knowledge that forensic anthropologists produce about these
bodies, violence, and conflict.
Methodology: The material presented and analyzed here is the result of an ethnographic approximation to the practice of forensic anthropological experts of the Prosecution Office. We present a methodology that we call dialogical and reflexive. It combines a self-ethnographic exercise of Jaime’s practice and conversations led by María Fernanda to delve into his experiences, concepts, and practices. We feed this methodology with
interviews with three forensic anthropologists, who have similar trajectories
to Jaime’s. We also carried out archival research of the years included here.
Conclusion: In this article, we present how forensic anthropologists’ qualitative
knowledge (together with other forensic experts’ knowledge) serves both as a testimony of what happened to the bodies and, at the same time, produces the
very thing that it studies. To this extent, it co-produces conflict, violence, victims,
and perpetrators, shedding light on the political dimension to the practice
of forensic identification.
Originality: Usually, studies about the social effects of forensic sciences present forensic knowledge as a truth-telling and neutral testimony about violent events. In this article, we have focused on how forensic knowledge (like any other) co-produces the very thing that it studies. As such, we point out and reveal its profound political implications, and, to this extent, contribute to broadening what is understood by forensic knowledge in contexts
of transitional justice and its possible social effects.
Keywords: Thesaurus: Body; Colombian Armed Conflict. Authors: False positive;
forensic knowledge; paramilitary graves; transitional justice.
Research Interests:
RESUMEN Este artículo explora aspectos socioculturales de un programa de brigadas de cardiología pediátrica para la atención de menores de poblaciones de escasos recursos que habitan en regiones periféricas de Colombia. Problematizamos... more
RESUMEN Este artículo explora aspectos socioculturales de un programa de brigadas de cardiología pediátrica para la atención de menores de poblaciones de escasos recursos que habitan en regiones periféricas de Colombia. Problematizamos las brigadas como estrategia humanitaria para cerrar las brechas de inequidad en el acceso a la atención en salud, y como contexto particular para el encuentro médico, la experiencia de la cardiopatía y la definición de las trayectorias de cuidado. A partir de la observación etnográfica de brigadas y de entrevistas a familias asistentes y personal de salud, realizadas durante el año 2016 en cinco ciudades diferentes, indagamos en las dinámicas que configuran el encuentro médico y cuestionamos los mecanismos (médicos y sociales) mediante los cuales se evalúa y decide qué familias pueden acceder a atención médica especializada en Bogotá. Se concluye que las brigadas, al ser iniciativas que continúan anclándose en el humanitarismo, en lugar de contribuir a la transformación de las condiciones que generan inequidades en salud acaban reproduciéndolas y exacerbándolas en la medida que seleccionan las vidas con prioridad para ser salvadas.
ABSTRACT This article explores the sociocultural aspects of a program of pediatric cardiology health brigades that provides care to children from low-income populations in peripheral regions of Colombia. We analyzed the brigades as a humanitarian strategy to close the gaps of inequity in access to health care, and as a particular context of the medical encounter, the experience of heart disease and the definition of care trajectories. Based on ethnographic observation of brigades and interviews with families receiving care and with health personnel, carried out in 2016 in five different cities, we looked at the dynamics that shape the medical encounter and questioned the mechanisms (medical and social) through which it is evaluated and decided which families can access care in Bogota. We conclude that the brigades, as initiatives that continue to be anchored in humanitarism instead of contributing to the transformation of the conditions that generate health inequities, reproduce and exacerbate such inequities by selecting which lives receive priority to be saved.
ABSTRACT This article explores the sociocultural aspects of a program of pediatric cardiology health brigades that provides care to children from low-income populations in peripheral regions of Colombia. We analyzed the brigades as a humanitarian strategy to close the gaps of inequity in access to health care, and as a particular context of the medical encounter, the experience of heart disease and the definition of care trajectories. Based on ethnographic observation of brigades and interviews with families receiving care and with health personnel, carried out in 2016 in five different cities, we looked at the dynamics that shape the medical encounter and questioned the mechanisms (medical and social) through which it is evaluated and decided which families can access care in Bogota. We conclude that the brigades, as initiatives that continue to be anchored in humanitarism instead of contributing to the transformation of the conditions that generate health inequities, reproduce and exacerbate such inequities by selecting which lives receive priority to be saved.
Research Interests:
In armed conflict zones, forensic anthropologists and archaeologists are uniquely positioned to make sense of the violent past and present.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Ocho meses de trabajo etnográfico nos dio la oportunidad de conocer a un grupo de jóvenes genetistas que buscan hacer ciencia de manera original, al margen de las estructuras hegemónicas. Al mismo tiempo, estos jóvenes buscan ser... more
Ocho meses de trabajo etnográfico nos dio la oportunidad de conocer a un grupo de jóvenes genetistas que buscan hacer ciencia de manera original, al margen de las estructuras hegemónicas. Al mismo tiempo, estos jóvenes buscan ser reconocidos como pares por quienes practican la genética de poblaciones conforme a los cánones establecidos internacionalmente. En este capítulo analizaremos algunas de las iniciativas llevadas a cabo por este grupo, en particular el tratamiento que le dan a las categorías poblacionales, y reflexionaremos sobre la adaptación de sus metodologías a ciertos fines ideológicos. Para ello describiremos la planeación, ejecución y publicación de resultados del “Proyecto Guajira”, una investigación que tenía el objetivo de describir uno de los departamentos de Colombia, haciendo énfasis en la población indígena que lo habita, los Wayúu. Nos concentraremos en las diferentes categorías poblacionales que produjeron los(as) genetistas a lo largo del proceso de investigación.
Research Interests:
Recent work on genomics and race makes the argument that concepts and categories of race are subtly reproduced in the practice of genomic science, despite the explicit rejection of race as meaningful biological reality by many... more
Recent work on genomics and race makes the argument that concepts and categories of race are subtly reproduced in the practice of genomic science, despite the explicit rejection of race as meaningful biological reality by many geneticists. Our argument in this paper is that racialized meanings in genomics, rather than standing alone, are very often wrapped up in ideas about nation. This seems to us a rather neglected aspect in the literature about genomics and race. More specifically, we characterize race as an absent presence in Latin American and argue that genomics in the region finds a particular expression of race through concepts of nation, because this vehicle suits the deep-rooted ambiguity of race in the region. To make this argument we use data from an ethnographic project with genetics labs in Brazil, Colombia and Mexico.
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Este panel propone contribuir a un debate incipiente en torno a las biotecnologías en América Latina, buscando reflexionar cómo estas están transformando las maneras de producir y circular sujetos, cuerpos, poblaciones y naturalezas... more
Este panel propone contribuir a un debate incipiente en torno a las biotecnologías en América Latina, buscando reflexionar cómo estas están transformando las maneras de producir y circular sujetos, cuerpos, poblaciones y naturalezas en América Latina. Como su nombre lo indica, las bio-tecnologías atañen a todas aquellas maneras de intervenir por medios tecnológicos el dominio de lo vivo. Caracterizadas por un incremento notable, desde la segunda mitad del siglo XX, de la capacidad de comprender procesos y desarrollos que atañen a las entidades vitales, las biotecnologías incluyen, pero no se restringen a, la manipulación de cuerpos y poblaciones humanos. A su vez, la habilidad creciente de estas técnicas para intervenir y modificar aquellos procesos en grados nunca antes vistos está basada en la permanente traducción y traslación de saber entre los dominios vitales de plantas, animales y otras entidades orgánicas e inorgánicas. Estas formas interconectadas de conocimiento atraviesan campos tales como la genética y genómica reproductivas, la disciplinas forenses, la salud pública y la ecología, por nombrar sólo algunas.
Con un foco especial en las modulaciones regionales de tales quehaceres científicos, buscamos incentivar un diálogo largamente pospuesto sobre las implicancias y especificidades de las biotecnologías para Latinoamérica. Nos interesa considerar de qué maneras se establecen novedosas articulaciones entre lo humano y lo no humano; entre ecologías y sociedades. Nos preguntamos por las intervenciones científicas en los cuerpos y las ecologías que vienen implementándose diversamente en los países de la región, tanto ahora como en el pasado. Buscamos, por un lado, indagar a través de qué rearticulaciones locales de género, etnia, edad, clase, capacidad, nacionalidad, así como de ecología, biología, y “recursos” naturales, entre otras, están siendo inscriptos los avances de las biotecnologías y las disciplinas encargadas de gestionar y producir conjuntos poblacionales y cuerpos de humanos y no humanos. Consideramos ejemplos no exhaustivos de ellas a los desarrollos biotecnológicos de “superalimentos” en el marco de políticas públicas de nutrición, las intervenciones poblacionales de las tecnologías reproductivas y genéticas, las técnicas de identificación forense, las políticas de conservación de ecologías particulares, las relaciones entre ecosistemas y territorios, entre otras. Proponemos pensar, por otro lado, de qué maneras tales biotecnologías suponen una problematización de las tradicionales dicotomías animal/humano, orgánico/inorgánico, simbólico/material e individuo/población, entre otras, invitando a considerar la valencia local de los aportes de las teorías posthumanas y su reflexión en torno a la contigüidad y co-emergencia de las “naturalezasculturas” (Haraway, 2003), lo humano, lo animal, lo vivo, lo ambiental y lo material en la producción y posibilitación de individuos y/o grupos agregados, problematizando, en última instancia, su cualidad “vital”. Como parte de esto, y teniendo en cuenta el carácter elusivo del concepto de población, nos interesa también explorar qué modelos, ejemplos y resultados de conjuntos poblacionales están siendo ejercitados y performados a través de estas biotecnologías: ¿qué ideas sobre agregados vitales y qué poblaciones, sujetos, naturalezas y naciones están de hecho siendo producidas a través de las diferentes formas de saber biotecnológico presentes en la región? De corte transdisciplinario, este panel invita contribuciones de diversas disciplinas sociales y naturales que aborden los temas arriba planteados u otros convergentes hacia una reflexión colectiva sobre la producción biotecnológica en América Latina
Con un foco especial en las modulaciones regionales de tales quehaceres científicos, buscamos incentivar un diálogo largamente pospuesto sobre las implicancias y especificidades de las biotecnologías para Latinoamérica. Nos interesa considerar de qué maneras se establecen novedosas articulaciones entre lo humano y lo no humano; entre ecologías y sociedades. Nos preguntamos por las intervenciones científicas en los cuerpos y las ecologías que vienen implementándose diversamente en los países de la región, tanto ahora como en el pasado. Buscamos, por un lado, indagar a través de qué rearticulaciones locales de género, etnia, edad, clase, capacidad, nacionalidad, así como de ecología, biología, y “recursos” naturales, entre otras, están siendo inscriptos los avances de las biotecnologías y las disciplinas encargadas de gestionar y producir conjuntos poblacionales y cuerpos de humanos y no humanos. Consideramos ejemplos no exhaustivos de ellas a los desarrollos biotecnológicos de “superalimentos” en el marco de políticas públicas de nutrición, las intervenciones poblacionales de las tecnologías reproductivas y genéticas, las técnicas de identificación forense, las políticas de conservación de ecologías particulares, las relaciones entre ecosistemas y territorios, entre otras. Proponemos pensar, por otro lado, de qué maneras tales biotecnologías suponen una problematización de las tradicionales dicotomías animal/humano, orgánico/inorgánico, simbólico/material e individuo/población, entre otras, invitando a considerar la valencia local de los aportes de las teorías posthumanas y su reflexión en torno a la contigüidad y co-emergencia de las “naturalezasculturas” (Haraway, 2003), lo humano, lo animal, lo vivo, lo ambiental y lo material en la producción y posibilitación de individuos y/o grupos agregados, problematizando, en última instancia, su cualidad “vital”. Como parte de esto, y teniendo en cuenta el carácter elusivo del concepto de población, nos interesa también explorar qué modelos, ejemplos y resultados de conjuntos poblacionales están siendo ejercitados y performados a través de estas biotecnologías: ¿qué ideas sobre agregados vitales y qué poblaciones, sujetos, naturalezas y naciones están de hecho siendo producidas a través de las diferentes formas de saber biotecnológico presentes en la región? De corte transdisciplinario, este panel invita contribuciones de diversas disciplinas sociales y naturales que aborden los temas arriba planteados u otros convergentes hacia una reflexión colectiva sobre la producción biotecnológica en América Latina
Research Interests:
Resumen: Objetivo/contexto: en este artículo nos enfocamos en las dimensiones simbólicas y prácticas del manejo de la corporalidad del enemigo, empleada por los paramilitares durante su auge tras la unificación de las Autodefensas Unidas... more
Resumen: Objetivo/contexto: en este artículo nos enfocamos en las dimensiones simbólicas y prácticas del manejo de la corporalidad del enemigo, empleada por los paramilitares durante su auge tras la unificación de las Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia, y seguida por militares en el marco de la Política de seguridad democrática del expresidente Álvaro Uribe. Para ello, abordamos cómo se materializan tales dimensiones, cómo se hacen evidentes y cómo circulan en el ámbito social a partir del conocimiento que producen antropólogos forenses acerca de esos cuerpos, de la violencia y del conflicto. Metodología: el material que aquí presentamos y analizamos es resultado de una aproximación etnográfica a la práctica de peritos antropólogos forenses de la Fiscalía General de la Nación en Colombia. Presentamos una metodología que llamamos dialógica y reflexiva, en la que hay un ejercicio auto-etnográfico de Jaime, acompañado de conversaciones lideradas por María Fernanda, para ahondar en experiencias, conceptos y prácticas. Esta metodología se complementa con entrevistas a tres antropólogos forenses con trayectorias similares a la de Jaime, así como revisión de archivo de los años aquí comprendidos. Conclusiones: el conocimiento cualitativo de los antropólogos forenses (junto con el de otros expertos forenses) no solo cumple la función de ser testimonio de lo ocurrido a los cuerpos, sino que tiene, además, la característica de producir aquello mismo que estudia y, en esa medida, co-produce el conflicto, la violencia, las víctimas y los perpetradores. Esto hace evidente la dimensión política y no neutral a la práctica de identificación forense. Originalidad: Estudios sobre los efectos sociales de las ciencias forenses usualmente abordan y presentan el conocimiento forense como testimonio neutro de verdad acerca de hechos violentos. En este artículo nos hemos enfocado en cómo el conocimiento forense (al igual que cualquier otro) co-produce aquello mismo que estudia. De esta manera, señalamos y hacemos evidente sus profundas implicaciones políticas. En esta medida, contribuimos a ampliar lo que se entiende por conocimiento forense en contextos de justicia transicional y sus posibles efectos en lo social.
Palabras clave:Thesaurus: conflicto armado colombiano; cuerpo; Autores: conocimiento forense; falsos positivos; fosas paramilitares; justicia transicional
Forensic Notes: Knowledge that Materializes the Enemy’s Bodies in Paramilitary Graves and False Positives
Abstract: Objective/Context: In this article, we focus on the symbolic and practical dimensions of the paramilitary’s management of the corporality of the enemy in their heyday after the unification of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and followed by the military in the framework of the Democratic Security Policy of former president Álvaro Uribe. To do so, we approach how these dimensions materialize, become evident, and circulate in the social sphere from the knowledge that forensic anthropologists produce about these bodies, violence, and conflict. Methodology: The material presented and analyzed here is the result of an ethnographic approximation to the practice of forensic anthropological experts of the Prosecution Office. We present a methodology that we call dialogical and reflexive. It combines a self-ethnographic exercise of Jaime’s practice and conversations led by María Fernanda to delve into his experiences, concepts, and practices. We feed this methodology with interviews with three forensic anthropologists, who have similar trajectories to Jaime’s. We also carried out an archival research of the years included here. Conclusion: In this article, we present how forensic anthropologists’ qualitative knowledge (together with other forensic experts’ knowledge) serves both as a testimony of what happened to the bodies and, at the same time, produces the very thing that it studies. To this extent, it co-produces conflict, violence, victims, and perpetrators, shedding light on the political dimension to the practice of forensic identification. Originality: Usually, studies about the social effects of forensic sciences present forensic knowledge as a truth-telling and neutral testimony about violent events. In this article, we have focused on how forensic knowledge (like any other) co-produces the very thing that it studies. As such, we point out and reveal its profound political implications, and, to this extent, contribute to broadening what is understood by forensic knowledge in contexts of transitional justice and its possible social effects.
Keywords:Thesaurus: Body; Colombian Armed Conflict; Authors: False positive; forensic knowledge; paramilitary graves; transitional justice
Anotações forenses: conhecimento que materializa os corpos do inimigo em fossas paramilitares e “falsos positivos”
Resumo: objetivo/contexto: neste artigo, focamos nas dimensões simbólicas e práticas do lidar com a corporeidade do inimigo, realizada pelos paramilitares em seu auge após a unificação das Autodefesas Unidas da Colômbia, e seguida por militares no âmbito da política de segurança democrática do ex-presidente Álvaro Uribe. Para isso, abordamos como essas dimensões são materializadas, como se tornam evidentes e como circulam no contexto social a partir do conhecimento que antropólogos forenses produzem sobre esses corpos, sobre a violência e sobre o conflito. Metodologia: o material apresentado e analisado é resultado de uma aproximação etnográfica da prática de peritos antropólogos forenses da Procuradoria-geral da Nação na Colômbia. Apresentamos uma metodologia que chamamos de “dialógica e reflexiva”, na qual há um exercício etnográfico de Jaime, acompanhado de conversas lideradas por María Fernanda, para aprofundar em experiências, conceitos e práticas. Essa metodologia é complementada com entrevistas a três antropólogos forenses com trajetórias semelhantes à de Jaime, bem como revisão de arquivo dos anos aqui compreendidos. Conclusões: o conhecimento qualitativo dos antropólogos forenses (junto com o de outros especialistas forenses) não somente cumpre a função de ser testemunha do ocorrido com os corpos, mas também tem a característica de produzir o que estuda em si e, nessa medida, coproduz o conflito, a violência, as vítimas e os perpetradores. Isso torna evidente a dimensão política e não neutral à prática de identificação forense. Originalidade: estudos sobre os efeitos sociais das ciências forenses, em geral, abordam e apresentam o conhecimento forense como testemunha neutra da verdade sobre os fatos violentos. Neste artigo, centralizamo-nos em como o conhecimento forense (assim como qualquer outro) coproduz o que estuda em si. Dessa maneira, evidenciamos suas profundas implicações políticas. Nesse sentido, contribuímos para ampliar o que se entende por conhecimento forense em contextos de justiça de transição e seus possíveis efeitos no social.
Palavras-chave:Thesaurus: conflito armado colombiano; corpo; Autores: conhecimento forense; falsos positivos; fossas paramilitares; justiça de transição
Palabras clave:Thesaurus: conflicto armado colombiano; cuerpo; Autores: conocimiento forense; falsos positivos; fosas paramilitares; justicia transicional
Forensic Notes: Knowledge that Materializes the Enemy’s Bodies in Paramilitary Graves and False Positives
Abstract: Objective/Context: In this article, we focus on the symbolic and practical dimensions of the paramilitary’s management of the corporality of the enemy in their heyday after the unification of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia and followed by the military in the framework of the Democratic Security Policy of former president Álvaro Uribe. To do so, we approach how these dimensions materialize, become evident, and circulate in the social sphere from the knowledge that forensic anthropologists produce about these bodies, violence, and conflict. Methodology: The material presented and analyzed here is the result of an ethnographic approximation to the practice of forensic anthropological experts of the Prosecution Office. We present a methodology that we call dialogical and reflexive. It combines a self-ethnographic exercise of Jaime’s practice and conversations led by María Fernanda to delve into his experiences, concepts, and practices. We feed this methodology with interviews with three forensic anthropologists, who have similar trajectories to Jaime’s. We also carried out an archival research of the years included here. Conclusion: In this article, we present how forensic anthropologists’ qualitative knowledge (together with other forensic experts’ knowledge) serves both as a testimony of what happened to the bodies and, at the same time, produces the very thing that it studies. To this extent, it co-produces conflict, violence, victims, and perpetrators, shedding light on the political dimension to the practice of forensic identification. Originality: Usually, studies about the social effects of forensic sciences present forensic knowledge as a truth-telling and neutral testimony about violent events. In this article, we have focused on how forensic knowledge (like any other) co-produces the very thing that it studies. As such, we point out and reveal its profound political implications, and, to this extent, contribute to broadening what is understood by forensic knowledge in contexts of transitional justice and its possible social effects.
Keywords:Thesaurus: Body; Colombian Armed Conflict; Authors: False positive; forensic knowledge; paramilitary graves; transitional justice
Anotações forenses: conhecimento que materializa os corpos do inimigo em fossas paramilitares e “falsos positivos”
Resumo: objetivo/contexto: neste artigo, focamos nas dimensões simbólicas e práticas do lidar com a corporeidade do inimigo, realizada pelos paramilitares em seu auge após a unificação das Autodefesas Unidas da Colômbia, e seguida por militares no âmbito da política de segurança democrática do ex-presidente Álvaro Uribe. Para isso, abordamos como essas dimensões são materializadas, como se tornam evidentes e como circulam no contexto social a partir do conhecimento que antropólogos forenses produzem sobre esses corpos, sobre a violência e sobre o conflito. Metodologia: o material apresentado e analisado é resultado de uma aproximação etnográfica da prática de peritos antropólogos forenses da Procuradoria-geral da Nação na Colômbia. Apresentamos uma metodologia que chamamos de “dialógica e reflexiva”, na qual há um exercício etnográfico de Jaime, acompanhado de conversas lideradas por María Fernanda, para aprofundar em experiências, conceitos e práticas. Essa metodologia é complementada com entrevistas a três antropólogos forenses com trajetórias semelhantes à de Jaime, bem como revisão de arquivo dos anos aqui compreendidos. Conclusões: o conhecimento qualitativo dos antropólogos forenses (junto com o de outros especialistas forenses) não somente cumpre a função de ser testemunha do ocorrido com os corpos, mas também tem a característica de produzir o que estuda em si e, nessa medida, coproduz o conflito, a violência, as vítimas e os perpetradores. Isso torna evidente a dimensão política e não neutral à prática de identificação forense. Originalidade: estudos sobre os efeitos sociais das ciências forenses, em geral, abordam e apresentam o conhecimento forense como testemunha neutra da verdade sobre os fatos violentos. Neste artigo, centralizamo-nos em como o conhecimento forense (assim como qualquer outro) coproduz o que estuda em si. Dessa maneira, evidenciamos suas profundas implicações políticas. Nesse sentido, contribuímos para ampliar o que se entende por conhecimento forense em contextos de justiça de transição e seus possíveis efeitos no social.
Palavras-chave:Thesaurus: conflito armado colombiano; corpo; Autores: conhecimento forense; falsos positivos; fossas paramilitares; justiça de transição
Research Interests: Anthropology of the Body, The Body, Transitional Justice, Cuerpo, Corpo, and 13 moreConflicto armado colombiano, Justiça De Transição, Justicia Transicional, Forensic Science, Crime Scene Investigation, Knowledge, Colombian Armed Conflict, Falsos Positivos, False positives, conflito armado colombiano, Fosas paramilitares, Conocimiento forense, Paramilitary graves, Conhecimento forense, and Fossas paramilitares
En este texto abordamos cómo las prácticas forenses de investigación e identificación participan en la producción de ciertos tipos de víctimas y de perpetrador en el marco del conflicto armado colombiano. Argumentamos que la... more
En este texto abordamos cómo las prácticas forenses de investigación e identificación participan en la producción de ciertos tipos de víctimas y de perpetrador en el marco del conflicto armado colombiano. Argumentamos que la identificación forense, como cualquier otra práctica, produce aquello que estudia. Acá nos referimos al caso conocido como los “falsos positivos”: jóvenes civiles, sin nexos con grupos guerrilleros, que fueron engañados con falsas promesas de trabajo para luego ser encontrados muertos y presentados como bajas guerrilleras en combate. En cuanto a los perpetradores, fueron miembros de las Fuerzas Militares quienes realizaron las ejecuciones extrajudiciales de población civil con el fin de transmitir la idea de que la guerra contra el terrorismo se estaba ganando. Nuestro trabajo aborda el quehacer de expertos forenses de la Fiscalía General de la Nación de Colombia y nos basamos en datos recopilados a través de una combinación de conversaciones (auto)etnográficas y reflexivas sostenidas por los autores, entrevistas con cuatro peritos forenses de la Fiscalía e investigación de archivo. Esta manera de acercarse a la producción de conocimiento forense hace posible que podamos entender a estos expertos como actores activos (y no simples testigos) del conflicto armado, en la medida en que participan de la producción tanto de las víctimas como de los perpetradores.
Research Interests:
Resumen: ya tenemos cuarenta años de experiencia en América Latina en la aplicación de la antropología y la arqueología forense para la búsqueda de personas desaparecidas e investigaciones de violaciones graves de derechos humanos y del... more
Resumen: ya tenemos cuarenta años de experiencia en América Latina en la aplicación de la antropología y la arqueología forense para la búsqueda de personas desaparecidas e investigaciones de violaciones graves de derechos humanos y del derecho humanitario internacional. A pesar de esta larga trayectoria de trabajo muy importante, lxs protagonistas más impactantes del meta-análisis en la literatura del trabajo forense y su impacto en los últimos años no han sido lxs científicxs forenses mismxs, sino lxs científicxs sociales. Este artículo introduce el dosier “Prácticas forenses y violencia en masa: perspectivas contemporáneas y retos investigativos”, un trabajo que une a lxs practicantes —incluidxs familiares de lxs desparecidxs— con investigadorxs académicxs, rompiendo una división estructural, social y artificial. Esta fuerza unida entre académicxs y practicantes refleja mejor el trabajo en su totalidad que incluye y resalta las metas no solo de búsqueda, recuperación, análisis e identificación, sino también de restitución y entrega. Esta introducción enfatiza los debates que están ausentes en muchas de las revistas científicas-forenses: el impacto de la política sobre las investigaciones y el producto político de las investigaciones. Asimismo, recalca las discusiones aún presentes sobre cuestiones de objetividad, neutralidad y el valor de un abordaje que involucra o es dirigido por familiares. En este dosier veremos una adaptación y evolución de la disciplina desde su forma particular latinoamericana, tanto en las distintas expresiones que ha tenido en la región como en la manera en que se ha expresado en el trabajo de profesionales latinoamericanxs en casos extranjeros como el de la antigua Yugoslavia.
Palabras clave: antropología forense, arqueología forense, justicia, verdad, violencia en masa.
Forensic Practices and Mass Violence: Contemporary Perspectives and Research Challenges
Abstract: We already have forty years of experience in Latin America in the application of anthropology and forensic archaeology to the search for missing persons and investigations of gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Despite this long trajectory of very important work, the most striking protagonists of meta-analysis in the forensic work literature and its impact in recent years have not been the forensic scientists themselves, but social scientists. This article introduces the dossier “Forensic Practices and Mass Violence: Contemporary Perspectives and Research Challenges,” a work that brings together practitioners —including relatives of the missing— with academic researchers, breaking down a structural, social and artificial divide. The joining of forces between academics and practitioners better reflects the work as a whole that includes and highlights the goals concerning search, recovery, analysis, and identification, but also those concerning restitution. This introduction emphasizes debates that are absent in many forensic science journals: the impact of politics on research and the political product of research, although we still have debates about questions of objectivity, neutrality, and the value of a family-driven or family-involved approach. In this dossier, we examine the adaptation and evolution of the discipline from its particular Latin American form, both in the different expressions it has taken in the region and in the way it has been expressed in the work of Latin American professionals in foreign cases such as that of the former Yugoslavia.
Keywords: Forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology, justice, mass violence, truth.
Práticas forenses e violência em massa: perspectivas contemporâneas e desafios para a pesquisa
Resumo: já temos 40 anos de experiência na América Latina na aplicação da antropologia e da arqueologia forenses para buscar pessoas desaparecidas e para as investigações de violações graves de direitos humanos e do direito humanitário internacional. Embora essa longa trajetória de trabalho seja muito importante, os protagonistas mais impactantes da metanálise na literatura do trabalho forense e seu impacto nos últimos anos não vêm sendo os cientistas forenses em si, mas sim os cientistas sociais. Este artigo introduz o dossiê “Práticas forenses e violência em massa: perspectivas contemporâneas e desafios para a pesquisa”, um trabalho que une os praticantes — incluídos os familiares dos desaparecidos — com pesquisadores, quebrando com uma divisão estrutural, social e artificial. Essa força unida entre acadêmicos e praticantes reflete melhor o trabalho em sua totalidade, que inclui e ressalta as metas não somente de busca, recuperação, análise e identificação, mas também de restituição e entrega. Esta introdução enfatiza os debates que estão ausentes em muitas das revistas científico-forenses: o impacto da política sobre as investigações e o produto político destas. Além disso, salienta as discussões ainda presentes sobre questões de objetividade, neutralidade e o valor de uma abordagem que envolve ou é dirigida por familiares. Neste dossiê, vemos uma adaptação e evolução da disciplina sob sua forma particular latino-americana, tanto das diferentes expressões que vem tendo na região quanto na maneira em que vem se expressando no trabalho de profissionais latino-americanos em casos internacionais, como o da antiga Iugoslávia.
Palavras-chave: antropologia forense, arqueologia forense, justiça, verdade, violência em massa.
Palabras clave: antropología forense, arqueología forense, justicia, verdad, violencia en masa.
Forensic Practices and Mass Violence: Contemporary Perspectives and Research Challenges
Abstract: We already have forty years of experience in Latin America in the application of anthropology and forensic archaeology to the search for missing persons and investigations of gross violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. Despite this long trajectory of very important work, the most striking protagonists of meta-analysis in the forensic work literature and its impact in recent years have not been the forensic scientists themselves, but social scientists. This article introduces the dossier “Forensic Practices and Mass Violence: Contemporary Perspectives and Research Challenges,” a work that brings together practitioners —including relatives of the missing— with academic researchers, breaking down a structural, social and artificial divide. The joining of forces between academics and practitioners better reflects the work as a whole that includes and highlights the goals concerning search, recovery, analysis, and identification, but also those concerning restitution. This introduction emphasizes debates that are absent in many forensic science journals: the impact of politics on research and the political product of research, although we still have debates about questions of objectivity, neutrality, and the value of a family-driven or family-involved approach. In this dossier, we examine the adaptation and evolution of the discipline from its particular Latin American form, both in the different expressions it has taken in the region and in the way it has been expressed in the work of Latin American professionals in foreign cases such as that of the former Yugoslavia.
Keywords: Forensic anthropology, forensic archaeology, justice, mass violence, truth.
Práticas forenses e violência em massa: perspectivas contemporâneas e desafios para a pesquisa
Resumo: já temos 40 anos de experiência na América Latina na aplicação da antropologia e da arqueologia forenses para buscar pessoas desaparecidas e para as investigações de violações graves de direitos humanos e do direito humanitário internacional. Embora essa longa trajetória de trabalho seja muito importante, os protagonistas mais impactantes da metanálise na literatura do trabalho forense e seu impacto nos últimos anos não vêm sendo os cientistas forenses em si, mas sim os cientistas sociais. Este artigo introduz o dossiê “Práticas forenses e violência em massa: perspectivas contemporâneas e desafios para a pesquisa”, um trabalho que une os praticantes — incluídos os familiares dos desaparecidos — com pesquisadores, quebrando com uma divisão estrutural, social e artificial. Essa força unida entre acadêmicos e praticantes reflete melhor o trabalho em sua totalidade, que inclui e ressalta as metas não somente de busca, recuperação, análise e identificação, mas também de restituição e entrega. Esta introdução enfatiza os debates que estão ausentes em muitas das revistas científico-forenses: o impacto da política sobre as investigações e o produto político destas. Além disso, salienta as discussões ainda presentes sobre questões de objetividade, neutralidade e o valor de uma abordagem que envolve ou é dirigida por familiares. Neste dossiê, vemos uma adaptação e evolução da disciplina sob sua forma particular latino-americana, tanto das diferentes expressões que vem tendo na região quanto na maneira em que vem se expressando no trabalho de profissionais latino-americanos em casos internacionais, como o da antiga Iugoslávia.
Palavras-chave: antropologia forense, arqueologia forense, justiça, verdade, violência em massa.