Mbonani Thandolwethu, L'Abbé Ericka, Chen Ding-Geng, Ridel Alison
Department of Anatomy, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Department of Statistics, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Int J Legal Med. 2025 May 26. doi: 10.1007/s00414-025-03529-8.
Forensic anthropologists face the complex task of estimating population affinity from skeletal remains, a process that involves inferring culturally constructed "social race" from biological tissues, a challenge further complicated by the nuanced distinction between population affinity and "race". The difficulty in making these estimations arises from the complex interplay between social constructs of race, skeletal morphology, and geographic origin. These factors are further influenced by elements such as assortative mating and institutional racism in regions such as South Africa and the United States. The interaction between cultural factors and biological traits raises the question of whether the challenges in estimating population affinity are inevitable or due to a limited understanding of human variation. To address this knowledge gap, this paper presents a review of population affinity estimation in forensic anthropology, with a focus on the South African context. It provides foundational background and historical insights, explores the medico-legal significance of population affinity, and critically evaluates both traditional and emerging estimation methods. By highlighting regional challenges and recent advancements, this review aims to enhance understanding and contribute to ongoing debates in the field. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.
法医人类学家面临着从骨骼遗骸估计群体亲缘关系的复杂任务，这一过程涉及从生物组织中推断文化构建的“社会种族”，而群体亲缘关系和“种族”之间细微的区别使这一挑战更加复杂。进行这些估计的困难源于种族的社会构建、骨骼形态和地理起源之间复杂的相互作用。在南非和美国等地区，这些因素还受到选型交配和制度性种族主义等因素的进一步影响。文化因素和生物特征之间的相互作用引发了一个问题，即估计群体亲缘关系的挑战是不可避免的，还是由于对人类变异的理解有限。为了填补这一知识空白，本文对法医人类学中群体亲缘关系估计进行了综述，重点关注南非背景。它提供了基础背景和历史见解，探讨了群体亲缘关系的法医学意义，并批判性地评估了传统和新兴的估计方法。通过强调区域挑战和最新进展，本综述旨在增进理解，并为该领域正在进行的辩论做出贡献。临床试验编号：不适用。
