1,721,006 research outputs found
The Investigation of Historic Missing Persons Cases - Genocide and 'Conflict Time' Human Rights Abuses
No full textThe twentieth century has been described as the ’age of extremes’ (Hobsbawn 1994), due to the large number of cases of genocide and human rights abuses during ‘conflict time’ (Baille 2012). In some countries, systematic methodologies have been developed in order to locate the bodies of missing persons, resulting in the successful identification and re-internment of these remains. However, there are many cases in which the victims of genocide and human rights abuses are still missing decades and even centuries after the crimes were perpetrated. This chapter will consider: the various reasons why search and recovery programmes might not be undertaken in relation to historic genocide and human rights abuses; some of the political, social, ethical, cultural and religious issues that practitioners attempting to engage in such investigations should consider prior to formal initiation of an enquiry; and the range of interdisciplinary techniques that can now be drawn upon to locate body deposition sites
Handbook on Missing Persons
No full textThis ambitious multidisciplinary volume surveys the science, forensics, politics, and
ethics involved in responding to missing persons cases. International experts across the
physical and social sciences offer data, case examples, and insights on best practices,
new methods, and emerging specialties that may be employed in investigations. Topics
such as secondary victimization, privacy issues, DNA identification, and the challenges
of finding victims of war and genocide highlight the uncertainties and complexities
surrounding these cases as well as possibilities for location and recovery. This diverse
presentation will assist professionals in accessing new ideas, collaborating with
colleagues, and handling missing persons cases with greater efficiency—and potentially
greater certainty.
Among the Handbook’s topics:
• A profile of missing persons: some key findings for police officers.
• Missing persons investigations and identification: issues of scale, infrastructure,
and political will.
• Pregnancy and parenting among runaway and homeless young women.
• Estimating the appearance of the missing: forensic age progression in the search
for missing persons.
• The use of trace evidence in missing persons investigations.
• The Investigation of historic missing persons cases: genocide and “conflict time”
human rights abuses.
The depth and scope of its expertise make the Handbook of Missing Persons useful for
criminal justice and forensic professionals, health care and mental health professionals,
social scientists, legal professionals, policy leaders, community leaders, and military
personnel, as well as for the general public
The Role of Forensic Archaeology in Missing Persons Investigations
No full textTHE ROLE OF FORENSIC ARCHAEOLOGY IN MISSING PERSONS INVESTIGATIONS ERIC J. BARTELINK, COLLEEN F. MILLIGAN AND CAROLINE STURDY COLLS Eric J. Bartelink and Colleen F. Milligan, 400 West 1st Street, Department of Anthropology, California State University-Chico, Chico, CA 95929-0400, [email protected] Sturdy Colls, Forensic and Crime Science Department, Science Centre, Staffordshire University, Leek Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 2DF, [email protected]: forensic archaeology; search; excavation; buried remains; clandestine graves ABSTRACT Forensic archaeology has emerged as a distinct discipline over the past three decades, although its value was recognized as early as the 1970s. Today, forensic archaeologists assist with domestic outdoor scenes, fire scenes, in the search and excavation of mass graves, in the recovery of remains from past wars and conflicts, and in mass fatality incidents. The application of archaeological methods to outdoor forensic scenes includes the search, location, excavation, and recovery of human remains and other kinds of forensic evidence. Forensic archaeology has been integral to the investigations of missing persons cases, and practitioners are often called upon to assist with the recovery of human remains and forensic evidence from surface scattered scenes, clandestine graves, fire scenes, and large scale massdisaster scenes. This chapter provides a general overview of forensic archaeological methods and also discusses innovations in the analysis of outdoor scenes and fire scenes
Representing And Exhibiting Archaeological Findings Through Artistic Practice
No full textIn this chapter we examine two recent projects focused on Holocaust sites on which we have collaborated—Finding Treblinka and Accessing Campscapes: Inclusive Strategies for Using European Conflicted Heritage (IC-ACCESS). Through these examples, we demonstrate how artworks made in conjunction with archaeological investigations can generate new knowledge, rehumanize the victims and confront contentious issues. In doing so, we argue that transdisciplinary methodologies provide new opportunities for challenging prevailing paradigms and diversifying engagement with the material culture of difficult histories
Forensic Anthropology and Missing Persons Investigations
No full textThe role of the forensic anthropologist in a missing persons case can often be both invaluable and extensive, stretching from the search phase, through location and recovery to assist in identification of the individual. Forensic anthropologists play a strong role in these cases in both the domestic sphere and in humanitarian investigations and mass disasters where utilisation of their skills can reduce the time taken for a search, ensure accurate recovery of remains and lead to strong intelligence on which to base the identification process. This chapter examines the role of the forensic anthropologist through each phase of any investigation, outlining the skills which can support an investigation including the creation of a biological profile which can eventually lead to a successful identification of the remains recovered
Searching for Traces:Objects Found During Forensic Archaeological Investigations at Treblinka Extermination Camp (2010-2017)
No full textThis article will discuss the objects found in the area believed to contain Treblinka II’s waste pit during archaeological investigations carried out at the site between 2010 and 2017, led by the author. It will outline how survey and excavation works resulted in the discovery of new information regarding discarded items that were brought to the camp by Jews who were murdered and by the guards who oversaw the killing. Ultimately, it will be argued that analysis of so-called waste within the terrain of extermination and other types of camps has the potential to enhance our knowledge of daily life and death at sites of Nazi persecution, and to provide important, often overlooked physical evidence connected to the crimes that the perpetrators tried to hide
“For Dust Thou Art, and Unto Dust Shalt Thou Return”: Jewish Law, Forensic Investigation, and Archaeology in the Aftermath of the Holocaust
Get PDFJewish communities across Europe were irrevocably decimated during the Holocaust by systematic and ad hoc executions, forced labor, and various forms of ill-treatment (Rees 2017). The scope and scale of the killing, types of killing techniques deployed, and need to dispose of large quantities of corpses—as well as the total disregard for the human and religious rights of the victims—was an unprecedented violation of human life and dignity. This chapter considers (1) how the specific nature of genocidal actions defiled Jewish customs relating to death and burial during the Holocaust, (2) how and why Rabbinical, forensic and archaeological responses to the Holocaust have been at odds and (3) how recent developments in archaeological approaches offer the opportunity to respect Jewish law while deriving important new information about the crimes perpetrated and experiences of the victims
Book Review: Holocaust Landscapes
No full textThis article reviews Tim Cole's monograph, Holocaust Landscapes
Holocaust Archaeology: Archaeological Approaches to Landscapes of Nazi Genocide and Persecution
Get PDFDebate concerning the events of the Holocaust is well embedded in the historical discourse and, thus, clearly defined narratives of this period exist. However, in most European countries the Holocaust has only recently begun to be considered in terms of its surviving archaeological remains and landscapes, and the majority of known sites are still ill-defined and only partially understood from both spatial structural points of view. Additionally, thousands of sites across Europe remain unmarked, whilst the locations of others have been forgotten altogether. Such a situation has arisen as a result of a number of political, social, ethical, and religious factors which, coupled with the scale of the crimes, has often inhibited systematic search. This paper details the subsequent development and application of a non-invasive archaeological methodology aimed at rectifying this situation and presents a case for the establishment of Holocaust archaeology as a sub-discipline of conflict studies. In particular, the importance of moving away from the notion that the presence of historical sources precludes the need for the collection of physical evidence is stressed, and the humanitarian, scientific, academic, and commemorative value of exploring this period is
considered
Advances in the Use of Technology within European Jewish Cemeteries
Get PDFLast fall Vilnius hosted an international conference on cemetery research.
Dr. Caroline Sturdy Colls, conference participant and Associate Professor of
Forensic Archaeology and Genocide Investigation at Staffordshire University,
United Kingdom, agreed to share her knowledge with our readers
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