An Archive of Unknown Human Remains: The Disposal of Unidentified Dead Bodies in Cemeteries in Colombia, 1990-2021.

Presented by: NYU Wagner, Universidad del Rosario, NYU CLACS, and the Colombian Studies Group

November
12
12:30pm - 2:00pm EST
Public
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Date:
November 12, 2021
Time:
12:30pm - 2:00pm
Location:
Online

The Emerging Scholars Workshop is a program sponsored by the Colombian Studies Initiative in collaboration with NYU CLACS that offers Masters, Ph.D and advanced undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines to present current Colombia-related research or working papers to fellow scholars and peers.

The goal of these workshops is to expand interdisciplinary and intercollegiate academic exchange between participating students and faculty to continue the development and analysis of research concerning Colombia throughout NYU and other academic institutions. The workshop will offer a space for presenting students to create discussion and receive feedback from an expert scholar in their field of study.

In this workshop we will be reviewing the paper by NYU PhD candidate, Natalia Mahecha Arango which examines how the public cemeteries moved from being considered as the final destination of unidentified corpses (N.Ns) to be defined as an archive of nameless bodies who could be potential victims of forced disappearance. In so doing, the article analyses the changes in the conceptions on both the N.N. bodies and the graveyards. Since the nineties, the unidentified dead bodies drew the attention of public opinion because they began to appear constantly. Even though some state institutions attempted to develop effective programs to identify these cadavers, many of them were buried as N.Ns in mass graves located inside public cemeteries. As a result of the pressure exerted by relatives of missing persons, NGOs, and international organizations, the Colombian state enacted in recent years a normative framework regarding the N.Ns and their proper burial in graveyards. The discourses of public health and human rights informed these regulations; however, only the second perspective managed to reshape the landscape of the cemeteries.

Due to the dynamic nature of this workshop, this event has limited capacity and will be held in Spanish. 

NYU Wagner provides reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. Requests for accommodations for events and services should be submitted at least two weeks before the date of the accommodation need. Please email mfs459@nyu.edu or call 212.998.7400 for assistance.
Nov 12 - Emerging Scholars Workshop