Conclusion: The Anthropology of Dissection and Autopsy

Abstract

There is a rich literature on the social history of the intersection of anatomy and economics, race, and class politics. In the last two decades, bioarchaeologists have made significant contributions to this topic, mobilizing the data to address a variety of historical and anthropological questions. In this concluding chapter I highlight two themes that can be observed throughout the contributions to the volume: dissection and autopsy as a transformative act and the relationship between dissection and structural inequality. Using the latter as a foundation, the final part of the chapter considers the ethical implications that bioarchaeologists must consider.