New Books in Science, Technology, and Society

Alexa Hagerty, "Still Life with Bones: Genocide, Forensics, and What Remains" (Crown, 2023)

·1 hr 4 min·5 clips

Alexa Hagerty reveals how forensic anthropologists piece together stories from bones in Guatemala and Argentina.

The episode begins with host Kelly McFall introducing Alexa Hagerty and her new book 'Still Life with Bones,' which combines journalism, anthropology, and memoir. Hagerty explains her background in anthropology, sparked by reading Charles Briggs' work on cholera. She describes her fieldwork in Guatemala and Argentina, focusing on forensic exhumations of mass graves from genocide. Hagerty outlines the painstaking process of locating graves through soil disturbances, flora clues, and community knowledge. She details how forensic anthropologists read bones to determine age, sex, and life details, such as a weaver's foot bones shaped by years at a loom. The history of forensic exhumation is traced to 1984 Argentina, where Clyde Snow trained students amid political fear to exhume dictatorship victims. Hagerty emphasizes the family-centered practice, where communities are involved in every step. She discusses testimonials as public storytelling of oppression, differing from interviews. The concept of closure is questioned, with Hagerty noting that exhumations can open grief rather than close it. She reflects on exhumations as sacred funeral rituals, even when no bodies are found. Hagerty shares how the work traumatized and transformed her, leading her to question anthropology's colonial roots and accessibility. She offers writing advice, stressing the importance of reading and public engagement. The episode concludes with Hagerty's current focus on surveillance technologies and human rights, along with book recommendations like Diane Nelson's trilogy on Guatemala.

As heard by us

Forensic science, family pressure, and the politics of proving atrocities.

Alexa Hagerty's Still Life with Bones: Genocide, Forensics, and What Remains presents forensic science in Argentina as a political act rather than a neutral one.

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Why you'd press play

A careful look at bones, politics, and the families who pushed for answers.

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