Best Practices for Scientific Collaboration and Ethical Considerations When Working With Human Remains in Southeast Asia

ABSTRACT The roles and responsibilities we occupy as scientists working directly with human remains are diverse, requiring careful ethical consideration. In Southeast Asian contexts, it has been important for us experts and scholars to be in constant correspondence and collaboration, deriving scientific insights into human health, life histories, and body forms on one hand, and balancing ethical and community‐based concerns on the other. We have learnt—out of necessity—to navigate a global landscape that is rife with postcolonial legacies that perpetuate the practice of expropriation of samples/data from our collections, and discriminatory attitudes in collaborative settings. We remain engaged with broader community and committed to stewarding our collections with care and deliberation. Through a questionnaire, our team assembled semi‐autobiographical qualitative data on our lived realities as Southeast Asian scientists. We evaluate our own collaborations and suggest best practices for moving forward in different forms of work, research, and teaching. We are optimistic about further drawing community and deriving protocols that promote total stakeholder equity. We hope all future work with human remains occurs in alignment with locally informed frameworks of respect, care and mutual understanding.

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Publication Details

Journal
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Published
2026-06-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.70122
Primary Topic
Race, Genetics, and Society
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Best Practices for Scientific Collaboration and Ethical Considerations When Working With Human Remains in Southeast Asia

Chong Chin Heo, Pratiwi Yuwono, Naruphol Wangthongchaicharoen, Delta Bayu Murti et al.
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Race, Genetics, and Society
article

Best Practices for Scientific Collaboration and Ethical Considerations When Working With Human Remains in Southeast Asia

Chong Chin Heo, Pratiwi Yuwono, Naruphol Wangthongchaicharoen, Delta Bayu Murti, Michael B. C. Rivera, Patara Rattanachet, Toetik Koesbardiati, Chin‐hsin Liu, Erwin Mansyur Ugu Saraka, Elaine Y. Chu, Ker Woon Choy, Thi Minh Tran, Sophorn Nhoem, Kathleen Felise Constance Tantuico, Edwin Miguel Anadon, Wan Xian Yeo, Nandar Yukyi, Winsome Hin‐Shin Lee, Tatfeef Haque, Sarah Agatha A. Villaluz
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT The roles and responsibilities we occupy as scientists working directly with human remains are diverse, requiring careful ethical consideration. In Southeast Asian contexts, it has been important for us experts and scholars to be in constant correspondence and collaboration, deriving scientific insights into human health, life histories, and body forms on one hand, and balancing ethical and community‐based concerns on the other. We have learnt—out of necessity—to navigate a global landscape that is rife with postcolonial legacies that perpetuate the practice of expropriation of samples/data from our collections, and discriminatory attitudes in collaborative settings. We remain engaged with broader community and committed to stewarding our collections with care and deliberation. Through a questionnaire, our team assembled semi‐autobiographical qualitative data on our lived realities as Southeast Asian scientists. We evaluate our own collaborations and suggest best practices for moving forward in different forms of work, research, and teaching. We are optimistic about further drawing community and deriving protocols that promote total stakeholder equity. We hope all future work with human remains occurs in alignment with locally informed frameworks of respect, care and mutual understanding.

International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
Siriraj Hospital (TH), Texas State University (US), California State University, Northridge (US), National University of Singapore (SG), Chinese University of Hong Kong (HK), Universitas Airlangga (ID), British Institute of International and Comparative Law (GB), Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VN), Hospital Sungai Buloh (MY), International Association for Dental Research (US), University of the Philippines Manila (PH), Southern Cross University (AU), Universiti Teknologi MARA (MY), James Cook University (AU), Silpakorn University (TH), University of the Philippines Diliman (PH), University of Hong Kong (HK), International Committee of the Red Cross (CH), Hasanuddin University (ID)
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Race, Genetics, and Society
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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