ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the political context and the conditions in which the forensic investigation arose and developed in relation to the search of disappeared detainees of the last civic-military dictatorship of Uruguay (1973–1985). The State has demanded a new look onto the repressive and authoritarian past from a scientific perspective. This perspective highlights the professional methods and standards of forensic anthropology and archaeology. The chapter describes the difficulties and achievements of the anthropological team of the University of the Republic, up to the reconfiguration of the past, in light of the findings of human remains. During the first half of the 20th century and within the “national society,” the notion of a “welfare state” was consolidated in Uruguay, with a centralist, urban character and a homogenising cultural purpose. The ability of opposition political groups for reorganisation would justify the indefinite application of all types of repressive measures against the population.
