Doctoral Dissertation Research: Redeeming Poisoned Spaces: Responses to Environmental Contamination and Health Research in the Mohawk Community of Akwesasne

Akwesasne Mohawk预订毗邻纽约/加拿大边境的通用汽车超级基金网站。对居民进行了大量健康研究的科学家得出结论，Akwesasronon（Akwesasne的人）应该避免吃当地的鱼和在现场附近的园艺，以避免进一步的化学身体负担。这种饮食和活动的突然转变导致了其他健康问题和文化损失。本论文项目调查的影响，环境污染和健康的研究，这个莫霍克社区的身份和文化，并试图通过一些社区成员收回传统和农业活动。研究集中在四个方面：1）社区对研究过程和向他们报告健康研究结果的方式的反应; 2）Akwesasronon对他们身体的看法如何由于污染的发现而改变，以及这如何扩展当前的身体人类学3）与环境的关系改变如何影响社区身份和4）目前正在Akwesasne实施的生计复兴努力，以及他们为修复这种改变的人类/环境关系所做的努力。除了与恢复生计组织进行访谈和参与观察外，还与参与健康研究的Akwesasne居民和进行研究的研究人员进行了半结构化访谈。

The Akwesasne Mohawk reservation is adjacent to the General Motors Superfund site on the NY/Canadian border. Scientists who conducted numerous health studies on the residents concluded that Akwesasronon (people of Akwesasne) should avoid eating local fish and gardening near the site to avoid further chemical body burdens. This sudden shift in diet and activity has led to other health problems and culture loss. This dissertation project investigates the effect of environmental contamination and health research on the identity and culture of this Mohawk community, and attempts by some community members to reclaim traditional and agricultural activities. The research is focused on four areas: 1) the community's response to both the research process and the manner in which health studies results were reported back to them; 2) how Akwesasronon perceptions of their bodies changed due to the discovery of contamination, and how this can expand the current anthropology of the body 3) how an altered relationship with the environment has affected community identity and 4) on current subsistence revival efforts being implemented at Akwesasne, and their efforts to repair this altered human/ environment relationship. Semi-structured interviews are being conducted with residents of Akwesasne who have been involved in health studies and researchers who conducted the studies, in addition to interviews and participant observation with subsistence revival organizations.