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Flattening and Unpacking Human Genetic Variation in Mexico, Postwar to Present

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 April 2017

Víctor Hugo Anaya-Muñoz ,
Vivette García-Deister  and
Edna Suárez-Díaz
Víctor Hugo Anaya-Muñoz
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México E-mail: [email protected]
Vivette García-Deister
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México E-mail: [email protected]
Edna Suárez-Díaz
Affiliation:
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México E-mail: [email protected]
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Argument

This paper analyzes the research strategies of three different cases in the study of human genetics in Mexico – the work of Rubén Lisker in the 1960s, INMEGEN's mapping of Mexican genomic diversity between 2004 and 2009, and the analysis of Native American variation by Andrés Moreno and his colleagues in contemporary research. We make a distinction between an approach that incorporates multiple disciplinary resources into sampling design and interpretation (unpacking), from one that privileges pragmatic considerations over more robust multidisciplinary analysis (flattening). These choices have consequences for social, demographic, and biomedical practices, and also for accounts of genetic variation in human populations. While the former strategy unpacks fine-grained genetic variation – favoring precision and realism, the latter tends to flatten individual differences and historical depth in lieu of generalization.

Type
Research Article
Information
Science in Context , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 89 - 112
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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