What’s wrong or right about skeleton-exhuming in the name of science?

Alan G. Morris, ‘A bone to pick with politics’, The Star October 23, 2008

(from the inaugural lecture in the Faculty of Health Sciences delivered by Professor of Human Biology at the University of Cape Town):

There is a myth among social scientists that because physical anthropology no longer accepts the concept of race, human variation somehow doesn’t exist. This is a failure to understand current scholarship in the field and demonstrates an almost shameful ignorance of biology.

Overall, South African physical anthropologists have not been successful in popularising their field. Although topics such as human evolution and forensics are well known, most people do not realise that this is all part of understanding human variation.

[…]

Let’s examine two of these heritage cases – one where science was seen as a collaborator in the recollection of heritage, and another where it was seen as an enemy.

An interesting and provocative piece, I reckon.