Science, colonialism, and indigenous peoples : the cultural politics of law and knowledge / Laurelyn Whitt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Whitt, Laurelyn, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Indians of North America--Legal status, laws, etc.

Indians of North America.

Indigenous peoples--Legal status, laws, etc.

Indigenous peoples.

Intellectual property.

Traditional ecological knowledge--Law and legislation.

Traditional ecological knowledge.

Sociological jurisprudence.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xviii, 265 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)

Other Title:

Science, Colonialism, & Indigenous Peoples

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2009.

System Details:

text file

PDF

Summary:

At the intersection of indigenous studies, science studies, and legal studies lies a tense web of political issues of vital concern for the survival of indigenous nations. Numerous historians of science have documented the vital role of late-eighteenth- and nineteenth-century science as a part of statecraft, a means of extending empire. This book follows imperialism into the present, demonstrating how pursuit of knowledge of the natural world impacts, and is impacted by, indigenous peoples rather than nation-states. In extractive biocolonialism, the valued genetic resources, and associated agricultural and medicinal knowledge, of indigenous peoples are sought, legally converted into private intellectual property, transformed into commodities, and then placed for sale in genetic marketplaces. Science, Colonialism, and Indigenous Peoples critically examines these developments, demonstrating how contemporary relations between indigenous and Western knowledge systems continue to be shaped by the dynamics of power, the politics of property, and the apologetics of law.

Contents:

Imperialism then and now

Indigenous knowledge, power, and responsibility

Value-neutrality and value-bifurcation : the cultural politics of science

The rhetoric of research justification

Indigenist critiques of biocolonialism

The commodification of knowledge

Intellectual property rights as means and mechanism of imperialism

Transforming sovereignties.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Other Format:

Print version:

ISBN:

9780511760068

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.