SOCI 325: Sociology of Science

Agenda

Science & identity

  1. Genetic ancestry testing
    & indigeneity
  2. Group discussions

Genetic ancestry testing & indigeneity

Genetic ancestry testing

Types of tests

  • Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA):
    Identifies markers inherited matrilineally.
  • Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs):
    Identifies markers inherited patrilinealy.
  • Short tandem repeats (STRs):
    Tests for parentage.

Linking alleles to populations

  • Most ancestry tests look for alleles/haplotypes that are associated with specific populations.
  • Not everyone in a population has any given allele.
  • Alleles that are common in a particular population are also present elsewhere.
  • Based on sample of recent people using statistical inference.

DNA tests ≠ ancestry ≠ race

Fry and Bender from Futurama staring in awe at a giant glowing DNA strand with green goop on it.

Indigeneity

2016 painting by Kent Monkman titled 'The Subjugation of Truth.' Two First-nations men sit at a desk in a European style government office, looking into each others' eyes. Many white men are signing contracts and treaties. A formally dressed Canadian mountie is holding one of the First-nations men in his chair by the shoulder.

“Indigenous”
as a category

  • “Indigenous” is a term and identity related to the global indigenous movement
  • Refers broadly to peoples/nations that were already present when a colonizing or settling population arrived

Unifying term

  • Identifies diverse, global peoples through shared struggle
  • Can also be used to “flatten” those peoples into a homogenous kind, defined by colonial history

Indigeneity

Articulations of indigeneity (TallBear 2013)

Dominant “genomic” articulations

  • Indigenous populations are defined by specific characteristics of populations’ genomes.
  • Co-exists with a view of static “cultural” distinction.

Contrasted with various indigenous articulations

  • Place-based:
    “They were not simply first but they arose as peoples, as humans in relationships with particular places.” (514)
  • Oppositional:
    Indigenous identity defined in terms of resistance against colonial forces.
  • Generative:
    “… enabling mutual recognition and collaboration by indigenous peoples across disparate histories and geographies.” (514)

Indigeneity

Narratives underlying genomic articulation (TallBear 2013)

TallBear discusses two cultural narratives that support and are supported by the genomic articulation of indigeneity:

1. “Indigenous peoples are vanishing”

  • Indigenous peoples represent “pure” populations that developed in relative isolation.
  • Due to colonialism, genetic admixture is making “pure” indigeneity rarer.
  • Provides scientific backing for indigenous erasure.

2. ““We are all related/all African”

  • All humans can be traced to a single “mitochondrial Eve” who is supposed to have lived in North Africa.
  • Implicitly (and often explicitly) conceives of non-Europeans as an earlier stage of human development.
  • Provides scientific backing for indigenous erasure.

Indigeneity

Co-opting indigeneity

  • Many genetic ancestry tests will report a ‘percentage’ of indigenous ancestry
  • Non-indigenous settlers may use these results to claim indigeneity for cultural cachet, tax benefits, etc.

Gaming the system

  • In 2018, CBC reported on a scam linked to “Confederation of
    Aboriginal People of Canada” (CAPC)
  • Genetic tests of journalist’s dogs were reported as having significant indigenous DNA

Screenshot of a CBC article. Cover photo shows a man holding an Indigenous identity card in front of his face. Title: 'Heredity or hoax? how dog DNA helped unocver a suspected Indian status scam'. Published June 13 2018; written by Jorge Barrera and Tiffany Foxcroft

Indigeneity

Screenshot of a CBC article. Cover photo is a headshot of Kim Tallbear. Title: 'After dog DNA debacle, Indigenous researcher says ancestry testing is 'stupid science' Tribal culture can't be bottled in a test tube, says Kim TallBear'. Published June 14, 2018; no byline

Next class

AI, knowledge, and social data

  • Joyce et al. (2021)
    Toward a Sociology of Artificial Intelligence

  • Roberts (2020) — optional
    Your AI Is a Human

Image credit

Fry and Bender from Futurama staring in awe at a giant glowing DNA strand with green goop on it.

Still from Futurama (1999)

2016 painting by Kent Monkman titled 'The Subjugation of Truth.' Two First-nations men sit at a desk in a European style government office, looking into each others' eyes. Many white men are signing contracts and treaties. A formally dressed Canadian mountie is holding one of the First-nations men in his chair by the shoulder.

The Subjugation of Truth (2016) by Kent Monkman via Huffpost

Screenshot of a CBC article. Cover photo shows a man holding an Indigenous identity card in front of his face. Title: 'Heredity or hoax? how dog DNA helped unocver a suspected Indian status scam'. Published June 13 2018; written by Jorge Barrera and Tiffany Foxcroft

Screenshot from CBC

Screenshot of a CBC article. Cover photo is a headshot of Kim Tallbear. Title: 'After dog DNA debacle, Indigenous researcher says ancestry testing is 'stupid science' Tribal culture can't be bottled in a test tube, says Kim TallBear'. Published June 14, 2018; no byline

Screenshot from CBC

mtdna and snps are used in popular tests Bring up types of tests to show that none will tell you about the “amount” of any type of DNA you have

Joyce et al is a “Scoping review”