Week Two: TallBear

NB:  from Omi and Winant pp. 64-5

They present the following argument:

1.     We’ve moved from biological notions to social ones

2.     Race is now primarily political.  Consequently we should focus on the political struggles of racialized groups, and consider their questions, consequences and agendas.  Think about how this relates to TallBear (p. 2) and her discussion of her own research purpose and methods.  Note her language:  “techniques began to be applied to traditional anthropological questions.”  P. 2

The racial project of Native American (Indians):  “Native American DNA could not have emerged as an object of scientific research and genealogical desire until individuals, and groups emerged as ‘Native American’ in the course of colonial history.”  P. 5

Research Purpose and Methods:

1.     Must be working in multiple knowledges at the same time p. 4

2.     Mirror Reflections p. 6 (relationship between the populations being studied, and the beliefs/concepts of the people studying them)

3.     “Ethnographic Refusal” p. 9

4.     “Decolonizing Methodologies” pp. 19-21 (Indigenous “’assumptions, values, concepts, orientations, and priorities’ frame research questions, shape analyses, and determine research instruments.” P. 20

5.     Feminist epistemologies p. 23

NB: the five problematic narratives at the intersections of race and science pp. 27-28.  And what do these say about the idea that race is primarily political and has moved beyond biological notions.  How might this knowledge inform our investigation of those political struggles?