Looking Back, Looking Forward: Contextualizing Historical Bioarchaeological Accounts with Contemporary Social Issues

Abstract

The very existence of women has been taken for granted throughout history. Their domestic roles are viewed as biologically fixed, resulting in a general lack of information recorded or researched relating to their lived experiences, life histories, and narratives. Instead, it is the history of white men that has been standardized as the norm, creating visible gaps in our understanding of women’s experiences. Additionally, the majority of existing literature centers on female reproduction, their roles as mothers, and violence enacted against women. While this information contributes towards a greater understanding of women’s experiences in bioarchaeological investigations, these data often lack a holistic representation of women’s narratives, health and autonomy. To contribute toward this representation, I used osteological, mortuary, and historic archival data to explore how women buried at the Milwaukee County Poor Farm Cemetery lived and died throughout the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Furthermore, these historical data were then situated within a contemporary context to understand how women’s health, treatment, and representation have and/or have not changed from the past to the present. Bridging the gap between historic and contemporary context requires a framework that contextualizes morbidity and mortality alongside social, political, and economic context (i.e., cultural determinants): a social autopsy. A social autopsy examines the cultural determinants that contribute toward differential morbidity and mortality patterns in vulnerable populations. In bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology, the integration of social autopsy can help researchers identify historical and contemporary factors that shaped the lives and deaths of the individual or groups being studied. The social autopsy asserts that meaningful reform cannot occur without a deep understanding of systemic issues, oppressive treatment, and the differential hardships faced by marginalized individuals. By applying this methodological framework, bioarchaeologists and forensic anthropologists can guide interventions that not only address historical injustices but also contribute toward improving public health and social welfare policies today