Biocoloniality, Governance, and the Protection of ‘Genetic Identities’ in Mexico and Colombia

Abstract

In this article two case studies are compared, Mexico and Colombia, in which the protection of ‘genetic identities’ has generated political and legal systems designed to avoid the unlawful appropriation of biological material and/or DNA in Latin America. The very idea that genetic patrimonies belong to nation-states or ethno-racial groups – framed as genomic sovereignty or the protection of a disappearing indigenous genetic heritage – is the product of a genetically reified understanding of human diversity, which we identify as ‘biocoloniality’. By exploring the common tropes and imaginations with which biocoloniality has been articulated, we argue that governance mechanisms built around ‘genetic identities’ are ineffective in addressing the unequal power relations inherent in contemporary scientific and regulatory practice.