LEGAL REGULATION, ETHICAL ISSUES AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL PRACTICE. A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ARGENTINA AND CHILE

Cultural heritage issues, especially those concerning the ethical treatment of human remains have promoted important changes which will have an increasing impact on archaeological fieldwork and laboratory practices. However, these issues seem not to be a major cause for concern among most archaeologists, who seem to show little interest in debating the consequences of these changes to their profession. This paper discusses this issue through a comparison of the situation found in Argentina and Chile that takes into account both the widespread recognition of indigenous peoples rights and the development of codes of professional ethics at national and international levels over the last few years' in order to provide recommendations concerning ethical considerations that practicing archaeologists should adopt.