Professor Kimberly TallBear, assistant professor of Science, Technology and Environmental Policy at the University of California, Berkeley, will present “DNA and the Re-Articulation of the Native American Race” as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Institute for the Study of “Race” and Social Justice 2009-10 Colloquium Series. This lecture, the first in the series, will be held Friday, Oct. 23 from 2-4 p.m. at the Hibben Center, Room 105.
According to Prof. TallBear, different types of DNA testing – genetic and “DNA Fingerprinting” – target Native American Identity and two levels of conceptual and social organizations, that of “race” and “tribe.” Prof. TallBear will discuss how the results given by these technologies compare with tribal enrollment rules, and concludes with an analysis of what this human genetic diversity research might mean for tribal membership and governance.
TallBear is Assistant Professor of Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Next year, the University of Minnesota Press will publish TallBear's book "Native American DNA: Origins, Ethics and Governance." TallBear is an enrolled member of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Tribe (South Dakota), where she previously worked as an environmental consultant.
Media Contact: Robert Valdez, (505) 277-0130; e-mail: rovaldez@salud.unm.edu