Living dead in the Pacific : racism and sovereignty in genetics research on Taiwan Aborigines

Colonized since the 1600s, Taiwan is largely a nation of settlers, yet within its population of 23 million are 500,000 Aboriginal people. In their quest to learn about disease and evolution, genetic researchers have eagerly studied this group over the past thirty years but have often disregarded the rights of their subjects. Examining a troubling revival of racially configured genetic research and the questions of sovereignty it raises, __Living Dead in the Pacific__ details a history of exploitation and resistance that represents a new area of conflict facing Aboriginal people both within Taiwan and around the world. Colonized since the 1600s, Taiwan is largely a nation of settlers. Yet within its population of 23 million are 500,000 Aboriginal people. Over the past thirty years, genetic researchers have eagerly studied Taiwan Aborigines, leading to mass violations of the rights of their subjects and a troubling revival of racially configured research. Living Dead in the Pacific examines the Taiwanese and Western genetic research of Taiwan Aborigines and the narratives that propelled it. Genetic research has permeated both the political and popular spheres as Taiwanese nationalists and Chinese nationalists argue over the significance of migration theories and as the media proliferates genetic theories on predispositions to alcoholism. As this book demonstrates, genetics serve, on the one hand, to reinforce claims to a unique national identity and, on the other hand, to reinforce anti-Aboriginal prejudices. Increasingly, genetic research on Aborigines is being integrated into biotechnology planning, both in the country and through controversial US patent applications. Compelling and original, this book considers the impact of racism and questions of sovereignty on genetic research, detailing a history of exploitation and resistance that represents a new area of conflict facing Aboriginal people both within Taiwan and around the world. Mark Munsterhjelm, PhD, teaches in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminology at the University of Windsor. Publisher's note Colonized since the 1600s, Taiwan is largely a nation of settlers, yet within its population of twenty-three million are 500,000 Aboriginal people. In their quest to learn about disease and evolution, genetic researchers have eagerly studied this group over the past thirty years but have often disregarded the rights of their subjects. Examining a troubling revival of racially configured genetic research and the questions of sovereignty it raises, Living Dead in the Pacific details a history of exploitation and resistance that represents a new area of conflict facing Aboriginal people both within Taiwan and around the world. Contents Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Acronyms 1 Taiwan Aborigines’ Genes as Black Boxes 2 Aboriginal Peoples’ Genes as Narrated and Contested Assemblages 3 Imposing Genetic Distinctions: Aboriginal Peoples and Alcoholism in Genetics Research 4 Informed Consent in the Austronesian Homeland 5 Were the Maori “Made in Taiwan”? 6 Internet Shopping Carts and Patenting Taiwan’s “Gift to the World” 7 Conclusion: The Agency of the Living Dead in Contested Sovereignty Notes References Index A consideration of the impact of racism and questions of sovereignty on genetic research, which details the exploitative history of research on Taiwanese Aborigines.