The Killing Fields of Spain: The Journey of a Forensic Anthropologist

The Killing Fields of Spain is a personal account of the author's experiences as a forensic anthropologist collaborating with the Association for the Recuperation of Historical Memory in the search and excavation of mass graves containing victims of human rights abuses which transpired during the Spanish Civil War, and her additional involvement with the process of identifying the exhumed bodies. The book provides a brief historical account which lays down the context in which historical events inflicted deep trauma upon Spain, and additionally outlines the dire lack of transitional justice imparted to survivors and the victim's relatives. At present, the situation in Spain is most unusual when framed within the context of other western nations that have actually investigated their own dark pasts; furthermore, Spain ranks second to Cambodia with respect to the number of the disappeared that are harboured within its territory. The contents permit the reader to become an observer to the challenges posed while working in the field, a witness to the subsequent laboratory work, and a spectator to the unique problems encountered when working within such endeavours in Spain. Many of hose who read this book will sense disbelieve that these issues still persist in a modern "democratic" Europe.