Additional Information

Available Through

AnthroSource; Wiley Online Library

Language

English

Notes

Abstract: The eighteenth-century African Burial Ground in New York City began as a municipal cemetery in which the remains of 15,000 enslaved Africans were buried. It was abandoned to urban development during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, but rediscovered at the turn of the twenty-first, its location in the heart of downtown Manhattan becoming the site of extraordinary religious, political and scientific conflict and collaboration. The site went from desecration in 1991 to becoming a US National Monument in 2007, representing a successful example of bioarchaeology in the service of a descendant community’s human rights struggle. This article suggests lessons from that struggle and points to the ethical and epistemic value of publicly engaged anthropology.

Taxonomies

RPA Codes & Standards

• Adequate Preparation for Research Projects
• Archaeologist's Responsibility to the Public
• Integrity of Research Methodology

CIfA Codes

• Principle 1: Adherence to ethical and responsible behaviour in archaeological affairs
• Principle 5: Recognition of aspirations of employees, colleagues and helpers in all matters of employment

Keywords & Terms

• Accountability
• Burials and Human Remains
• Consultation/Partnership with Affected Groups
• Culturally Significant and/or Sacred Sites, Objects, and Places
• Equity and Representation; Discrimination and Harassment
• Impact on Communities - Local, Descendant, etc.
• Integrity of Research Methodology and Field Procedures
• Public Interest, Collaboration, Education, and Outreach
• Respect for and Responsibility to Affected Groups
• Standards of Data Collection, Recordation, Analysis

Topics & Issues

• Biological Anthropology/Archaeology
• Collaboration in Archaeology (i.e. Communities, Non-Archaeologists, etc.)
• Descendant, Resident, and Stakeholder Communities
• Destruction of Cultural Heritage
• Equity, Representation, and Diversity
• Ethical Case Studies
• Ethical Responsibilities of Archaeologists
• Historical Archaeology
• Human Remains and Ethical Practice
• Human Rights and Social and Economic Inequalities
• Monuments and Commemoration
• Privilege and Issues of Inclusivity
• Public Engagement, Outreach, and Education
• Public Lands and National Monuments, Parks, and Historic Places
• Public Memory and Public Space
• Race in Archaeology