You are here

FAU Collections » FAU Research Repository » FAU Theses and Dissertations

BONE COLLECTORS: PERSONHOOD AND APPEAL IN THE SALE AND TRADE OF HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS ON FACEBOOK

Download pdf | Full Screen View

Date Issued:
2023
Abstract/Description:
The desire to own human skeletal remains has been prevalent for many years; in our modern technological age avenues for this market have exploded across the internet. This research focuses on Facebook groups dedicated to oddity sales and collecting. Purchasing human remains is illegal in Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee as well as prohibited by Facebook terms of service, but these sales persist. Over the course of 2021, 319 listings for human skeletal remains were recorded across six Facebook groups. These listings accounted for most skeletal elements found within the human skeleton. Many elements are artistic in nature, something viewed as “Giving a second life” to the remains, as observed within these groups. To fully understand the driving force behind this market requires cultural insight about the perception of human remains as well as the culture found within these groups. Kinship, friendship, and trust are all clearly expressed between buyers and sellers.
Title: BONE COLLECTORS: PERSONHOOD AND APPEAL IN THE SALE AND TRADE OF HUMAN SKELETAL REMAINS ON FACEBOOK.
74 views
30 downloads
Name(s): Breda, Evelyn , author
Ellis, Meredith A.B. , Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Department of Anthropology
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2023
Date Issued: 2023
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 70 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The desire to own human skeletal remains has been prevalent for many years; in our modern technological age avenues for this market have exploded across the internet. This research focuses on Facebook groups dedicated to oddity sales and collecting. Purchasing human remains is illegal in Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee as well as prohibited by Facebook terms of service, but these sales persist. Over the course of 2021, 319 listings for human skeletal remains were recorded across six Facebook groups. These listings accounted for most skeletal elements found within the human skeleton. Many elements are artistic in nature, something viewed as “Giving a second life” to the remains, as observed within these groups. To fully understand the driving force behind this market requires cultural insight about the perception of human remains as well as the culture found within these groups. Kinship, friendship, and trust are all clearly expressed between buyers and sellers.
Identifier: FA00014173 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (MA)--Florida Atlantic University, 2023.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Human skeleton--Collectors and collecting
Human remains (Archaeology)
Personhood
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00014173
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.