Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic Science

by Kim TallBear

Overview

Because today’s DNA testing seems so compelling and powerful, increasing numbers of Native Americans have begun to believe their own metaphors: “in our blood” is giving way to “in our DNA.” In Native American DNA, Kim TallBear shows how Native American claims to land, resources, and sovereignty that have taken generations to ratify may be seriously—and permanently—undermined.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780816685790
Publisher:	University of Minnesota Press
Publication date:	09/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	990,580
File size:	338 KB

About the Author

Kim TallBear is associate professor of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin.

Table of Contents

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: An Indigenous, Feminist Approach to DNA Politics

1. Racial Science, Blood, and DNA

2. The DNA Dot-com: Selling Ancestry

3. Genetic Genealogy Online

4. The Genographic Project: The Business of Research and Representation

Conclusion: Indigenous and Genetic Governance and Knowledge

Notes
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Native American DNA is a book of far wider scope than its title, establishing the author as a leading authority on the topic. The politics of tribal DNA is but the starting point of a complex analysis that encompasses the whole framework in which DNA is appropriated in the study of human populations. Molecular geneticists, science studies researchers, legal scholars—and of course Native Americans—will find their horizons considerably broadened and newly engaged."—Troy Duster, New York University

"Native American DNA is a gracefully written, powerfully argued, and urgently needed examination of indigenous identity and politics after the genomic turn. This is pathbreaking work."—Alondra Nelson, Columbia University

"Provocative and incisive. . . Native American DNA is undoubtedly a key text."—Medical Anthropology Quarterly

"TallBear’s description of the science of DNA testing is remarkably clear, and her skepticism about its claims is well founded."—Journal of American History

"Essential reading for researchers in all fields of Indigenous studies."—American Indian Quarterly

From the Publisher