Genetik bilimi ve kimlik

Year 2007, Issue: 22, 75 - 102, 01.04.2007

Ömer Gökçümen

Abstract

Biyoloji ve kimlik arasındaki ilişkiyle ilgili akademik çalışmalar uzun zamandır süregelmektedir. Özellikle ırksal kategoriler, hem akademik çevrelerde, hem de akademi dışında insan gruplarının biyolojik çeşitliliğini anlamada önemli yer tutmuşlardır. Ancak, son yıllarda bilim dünyası kimlik kavramının sabit bir yapı olarak anlayan tutumunu terk etmiştir. Genetik bilgi de, bu çaba içerisinde sabit biyolojik kimliklerin geçerliliğinin çürütülmesinde önemli rol oynamıştır. Bu gelişmelere rağmen, akademi dışında, genelde populasyon genetiği çalışmalarının etnik gruplara özgü `genleri' araştırmakta olduğu düşünülmektedir. Bazı etnik gruplar genetik araştırmaları coğrafi köklerini, etnik kökenlerini ve hatta grup kimliklerini `bilimsel' olarak meşrulaştırmak için kullanmaktadırlar (örn. Amerikan yerlileri, Lemba, Hindistanlı dokunulmazlar ve Afrika kökenli Amerikalılar). Bu çalışmalar gerçekten de bilimsel olarak değişik grupların tarihlerini anlamamıza ciddi katkılar sağlayacaktır. Ancak, etnik merkezli ve hatta ırkçı diskurs aynı verileri çarpıtarak kendi gruplarına avantaj sağlayacak şekilde çarpıtılabilir. Bu yüzden moleküler antropoloji çalışmalarının daha derin ve geniş olarak anlaşılmasını destekleyecek adımların atılması önemlidir. Bunun sonucunda oluşacak diyalog, genetik bilginin politik olarak yanlış kullanılmasını engellemekle kalmayacak, aynı zamanda insanlık tarihinin ve çeşitliliğin anlaşılmasına önemli katkılarda bulunacaktır

Keywords

Genetik, Kimlik, Irk, Bioetik, Moleküler Antropoloji

GENETICS AND IDENTITY

Abstract

The relationship between biology and identity is not a new area of academic inquiry. Racial categories, in particular, have set the framework for understanding human diversity both inside and outside of academia. In recent years, however, Western academics have taken an important role in the deconstruction of identity as a stable object of analysis. Contributing to this effort, genetic data have been utilized to problematize the notion of stable biological identities. Nevertheless, non-academic discourse has sometimes reproduced arguments, based on new genetic developments, which challenge the reflexive anti -essentialist identity that is produced in contemporary academia. For instance, population genetic studies are generally thought to show that certain `genes' are confined to particular ethnic groups. Indeed, several populations from different cultural backgrounds have already utilized genetic techniques to legitimize their origins, ethnicity and even group identity (e.g., indigenous American groups, Lemba, Indian `Untouchables', African Americans). While such studies will broaden our understanding of different population histories, ethnocentric or racist discourse can also represent these genetic data in a distorted way so as to support the claims of particular groups. For this reason, it will be important to promote a more comprehensive and deeper understanding of molecular genetic studies. The resulting dialogue will not only prevent the potential political misuse of genetic data, but also contribute significantly to our understanding of human history and diversity

Keywords

Genetics, Identity, Race, Bioethics, Molecular Anthropology

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