Science that Colonizes

Agnes Riedmann argues that the authority of First World scientists to penetrate the Third World for research has its roots in the 15th century idea of a "right to invade." Introducing "World System Demography," a global, bureaucratically administered science that is controlled by the First World elite, she analyzes three large-scale research projects that were carried out among the Yoruba in Nigeria in the early 1970s. She maintains that World System Demography, exemplified by such studies, is an agent of First World-directed cultural imperialism. Charging that World System Demography is an extension of the Western family planning/birth control movement, Riedmann critically analyzes how even the collection of data ultimately promotes contraception. Using the reports of interviewers, she illustrates how Western assumptions conflict with those of the research population, and she discusses policy considerations. Author note: Agnes Riedmann has taught sociology and anthropology at the University of Nebraska and Creighton University.