Bioarchaeological Research in Argentina: Past, Present and Future challenges

Abstract

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 nineteenth century until well beyond the first half of twentieth, the influence of European approaches dominated with emphases on racial types as well as diffusion theories. Human remains were considered and studied separately from their contextual associations and used mostly as sources for typological and racial analyses. Due to a growing academic influence from both American and European scholars, since the 1970s, osteological research in Argentina has become increasingly grounded in modern bioarchaeological techniques and results interpreted within bioarchaeology theories as well as those related to social dimensions of mortuary behaviour. While this development 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 recent years, native communities have started to claim their rights to land ownership and to the archaeological patrimony. This has become a major legal and academic issue that poses real challenges to scholars interested in the reconstruction of the past through bioarchaeological research.