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Missing pieces and body parts: On bodily integrity and political violence.

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Title: Missing pieces and body parts: On bodily integrity and political violence.
Authors: Auchter, Jessica (AUTHOR)
Source: Death Studies. 2026, Vol. 50 Issue 3, p373-383. 11p.
Subjects: Crime prevention, DNA analysis, Organs (Anatomy), Humanism, Power (Social sciences), Violence, Social justice, Debate, Forensic medicine, Feminism, Culture, War, Terrorism, Organ donation, Families, Rites & ceremonies, Business, Publishing, Suicide, Practical politics, Public administration, Corporations, Interment
Abstract: While much attention is paid to what happens to dead bodies after political violence, disaster, or atrocity, less attention has been paid to body parts, despite the wide-ranging efforts, both material (often forensic) and discursive, to reconstitute or resuscitate the whole dead body. Materializing the whole body is often considered key to truth-telling mechanisms and for closure for family members of the missing and dead, thus the body part is often posited as a problem in need of a solution. We are seeing, largely due to advances in forensic technologies, an increasing belief that all body parts can be identified and distinguished from other materials, and should, therefore, be recovered and repatriated to the whole body in its death. To explore this dynamic, I make two key arguments. First, I suggest that reassembling bodies is framed as a mechanism of re-subjectification that is key to reconciliation and justice after political violence. A body part is an object, but a dead body is in most contexts still considered a subject, even dead, so putting a dead body back together is considered re-humanizing and gives the dead body back its political agency. Second, I suggest that when this cannot be done materially due to the obstacles posed by modern warfare, we often see governance techniques that seek to do so discursively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Death Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Missing pieces and body parts: On bodily integrity and political violence.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Death+Studies%22">Death Studies</searchLink>. 2026, Vol. 50 Issue 3, p373-383. 11p.
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– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
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  Data: While much attention is paid to what happens to dead bodies after political violence, disaster, or atrocity, less attention has been paid to body parts, despite the wide-ranging efforts, both material (often forensic) and discursive, to reconstitute or resuscitate the whole dead body. Materializing the whole body is often considered key to truth-telling mechanisms and for closure for family members of the missing and dead, thus the body part is often posited as a problem in need of a solution. We are seeing, largely due to advances in forensic technologies, an increasing belief that all body parts can be identified and distinguished from other materials, and should, therefore, be recovered and repatriated to the whole body in its death. To explore this dynamic, I make two key arguments. First, I suggest that reassembling bodies is framed as a mechanism of re-subjectification that is key to reconciliation and justice after political violence. A body part is an object, but a dead body is in most contexts still considered a subject, even dead, so putting a dead body back together is considered re-humanizing and gives the dead body back its political agency. Second, I suggest that when this cannot be done materially due to the obstacles posed by modern warfare, we often see governance techniques that seek to do so discursively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Death Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/07481187.2024.2424028
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 373
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Crime prevention
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: DNA analysis
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Organs (Anatomy)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Humanism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Power (Social sciences)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Violence
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social justice
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Debate
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Forensic medicine
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Feminism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Culture
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: War
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Terrorism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Organ donation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Families
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rites & ceremonies
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Business
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Publishing
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Suicide
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Practical politics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Public administration
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Corporations
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interment
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Missing pieces and body parts: On bodily integrity and political violence.
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            – D: 01
              M: 03
              Text: 2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 50
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