Doctoral Dissertation Research: Experimenting with Security: Mexican Biology and Biosecurity

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

The research will show how scientists engaging in biosecurity define which life forms are considered natively Mexican and which are alien; how biological research is used to define which human practices foster the continued growth and development of good, native species or microbial or viral strains; and which practices facilitate the spread of dangerous, alien species that put local ecologies and life at risk. This project will follow groups of scientists engaged in various forms of biosecurity research, from assessing the risk of genetically modified organisms, to controlling invasive species and restoring native ones, to protecting human biosecurity against emerging infectious disease. Broader impact Biosecurity practices affect a wide range of human activity as the scientific knowledge produced is translated into governmental regulations and projects to protect health and ecologies. The ideas about biosecurity developed in laboratories have the potential to affect agriculture, trade, health, and environmental practices in Mexico; this project will study this process in detail. More abstractly, studying the construction of this knowledge will contribute to understanding connections between nature, nation, and identity in Mexico. Following the development of biosecurity research will also contribute to understanding of how ideas of Mexican national biologies are incorporated into scientific institutions and practices, including mestizaje (or mixture), patrimony, and the linkages between people, plants, and places.