Examining the ethical, cultural, and social dimensions of the search, including dignified return, memorialization, ritual, and family-centered approaches to recovery and remembrance.

Communities confronting disappearance and mass violence have shown that recovery is not only a forensic process, but also a profoundly human one. Rituals are not limited to dignified return and remembrance, but also emerge during search and recovery itself, including exhumation and the collective practices that accompany it. These ritual forms create spaces where grief can be expressed collectively, relationships restored, and the disappeared reintegrated into family and community memory with care. The Search Lab examines the ethical, cultural, and social dimensions of these processes, exploring how ritual practices across search, recovery, and return contribute to healing after armed conflict and disappearance. Working alongside affected communities and practitioners, the Lab studies how these practices support mourning, strengthen social bonds, and sustain remembrance grounded in dignity and care.