Oct 16, 2019
“Science and religion fight over Hawaii's highest
point,” one CNN headline puts it. “Desecrating sacred land or
finding new frontiers?” BBC asks. "Science, Interrupted: Mauna Kea
Observatories ‘caught in the middle,’” Pacific Business News
writes.
When
tensions arise between native communities and the so-called
“pursuit of science,” more often than not Western media presents
this point of conflict as a symmetrical and simplistic case of
“science vs. superstition.” Science is framed as a morally and
politically neutral quest for truth––an objective and innovative
good that will unequivocally benefit humanity. But Western
“science”––despite its rank-and-file advocates' often best
intentions–– has historically been used as the public relations
vanguard of colonialism and white supremacy. A Trojan Horse
presented as ideologically neutral, followed by an outpouring of
exploitation, industry and the erasure of native peoples––both
culturally and physically.
While
everyone can agree scientific research and progress are good
things, the institution of “science” as such––from North America to
Australia to Africa to Palestine-–has a long history of serving on
the front lines of white, capitalist expansionism. This week we are
going to discuss this history, how anti-colonial scientists are
pushing back against these forces, and how we can expand human
knowledge and understanding without weaponizing the enterprise to
serve the interest of power.
We're
joined on this episode by Nick Estes, Assistant Professor in the
American Studies Department at the University of New
Mexico.