These Were People Once : The Online Trade in Human Remains and Why It Matters

People buy and sell human remains online. Most of this trade these days is over social media. In a study of this ‘bone trade’, how it works, and why it matters, the authors review and use a variety of methods drawn from the digital humanities to analyze the sheer volume of social media posts in search of answers to questions regarding this online bone trade. The answers speak to how the 21st century understands and constructs ‘heritage’ more generally: each person their own expert, yet seeking community and validation, and like the major encyclopedic museums, built on a kind of digital neocolonialist othering of the dead. Contents List of Figures List of Tables Preface. They Sell What Online? Acknowledgments Chapter 1. The Lives behind the Photos Chapter 2. The Dead for Sale Chapter 3. Looking at Bodies Chapter 4. The Lies behind the Bodies? Chapter 5. Why Does It Matter? Appendix A. A Walk-through of the InstagramCLI Python Package Appendix B. A Walk-through of the PixPlot Python Package Appendix C. Text Analysis with Python and Jupyter Glossary of Terms References Index