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Aboriginal fractions: enumerating identity in Taiwan
1University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. ja2liu@uwaterloo.ca
Medical Anthropology
|July 4, 2012
Summary
Numbers and enumeration technologies shape Taiwanese identity and political claims. This study explores how measuring Aborigines constructs ethnic identities and influences governance, revealing complex representation projects.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Science and Technology Studies
- Anthropology
Background:
- Identity in Taiwan is intricately linked with numerical and enumerative technologies.
- Historical scientific knowledge production has constructed Taiwanese Aborigines as subjects of study through measurement.
- Contemporary claims to Taiwanese identity often involve genetic assertions, including fractional Aboriginal ancestry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the role of enumerative technologies in constructing ethnic identities in Taiwan.
- To analyze how these technologies facilitate claims for political representation and justice.
- To critically historicize the scientific measurement of Aborigines and its impact on identity formation.
Main Methods:
- Critical historical analysis of scientific knowledge production concerning Taiwanese Aborigines.
- Examination of enumerative technologies and their application in identity construction.
- Analysis of genetic claims and their intersection with ethnic and national identity.
Main Results:
- Enumerative technologies are polyvalent, serving multiple and sometimes conflicting projects.
- Measuring Aborigines has been used to establish a unique, genetically defined Taiwanese identity.
- These technologies are employed to incorporate Aborigines into democratic governance frameworks.
Conclusions:
- Technologies of enumeration are central to both knowledge production and identity formation in Taiwan.
- The use of numbers in defining identity can simultaneously empower and marginalize groups.
- Understanding these processes is crucial for equitable representation and justice for indigenous populations.
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