Ian McGonigle

Ian McGonigle is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology with research interests in religion, technology, and social theory, and regional expertise in the Middle East and Asia. He currently serves as the International Coordinator for the Department of Anthropology.

Previously, he was a Nanyang Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University, where he founded and directed a Global Science, Technology, and Society Laboratory. He has also held postdoctoral positions at Tel Aviv University, Harvard University, and the University of Cambridge. Currently, he serves as an Advisory Board Member of East Asian Science, Technology and Society: an International Journal (EASTS).

Degrees

·       2018: PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and Anthropology, Harvard University

·       2015: AM in Social Anthropology, Harvard University

·       2013: MA in Cultural Anthropology, University of Chicago

·       2010: PhD in Biochemistry, University of Cambridge

·       2007: BA in Biochemistry with Cell Biology, Trinity College Dublin

Research

As a biologist, Ian worked on resolving the structure-function relationships of ligand-gated ion channels through site-directed mutagenesis studies, computational modelling, and electrophysiological and pharmacological assays. His work helped reveal the molecular basis of the selective insecticidal activity of Ginkgo biloba, an ancient Chinese herbal medicine. He also identified a novel agonist binding mechanism in an insect GABA receptor involving a double cation-pi interaction. His research has been published in top scientific journals including Biochemistry, Biophysical Journal, The FASEB Journal, and The Journal of Neuroscience.

Ian’s work in the social study of science explores the role of science in identity formation and nation-building. His research takes two broad approaches:

1.     Examining how biology refracts and reiterates individual and group ethnic and national identities, such as through genetic testing, intellectual property rights to ethnomedical knowledge, or natural product consumption.

2.     Investigating how states enroll the biosciences to build national scientific prestige and foster visions of prosperous and healthy futures through initiatives like national genome programs, national biobanks, or national scientific development plans.

His book, Genomic Citizenship (MIT Press 2021), based on his Harvard dissertation that won the Association for Middle East Anthropology dissertation award, expands on these themes and theorizes these relationships.

Ethnographic Projects

Ian’s second long-term ethnographic project focused on religious nationalism in contemporary Israel, examining how ethnic and indigenous identities are reified in the context of contested West Bank territories and its Jewish religious settlers. This project yielded a multi-award-winning ethnographic film and a co-edited volume titled Settler Indigeneity (McGill-Queen’s UP 2023), which discusses the processes of settler-nativization in conversation with literature in anthropology, cultural studies, Israel studies, religious studies, and settler-colonial studies. This research also led to an article on the temporal experiences of settlers in relation to the perception of fulfilled biblical prophecies.

Filmmaking

As a filmmaker, Ian has produced and directed two documentary films:

1.     Redemption: Wine and Prophecy in the Land of Israel - explores religious nationalism through the lens of winemaking in contested territories.

2.     Technologies of the Soul: Ancient Wisdom in the Smart Nation - investigates the views of Singapore’s ten recognized religions towards contemporary technological change.

These films have won more than a dozen international film festival awards and have been screened at selective venues around the world, including Ethnografilm Paris, Dhaka International Film Festival, Religion Today Film Festival, and Catalina Film Festival. Both films have been licensed for distribution by Salt Media in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Current Interests

Ian is currently interested in the relationships between Kabbalah (Jewish Mysticism) and social theory.

Books

·       Feldman, R. and I. McGonigle (Eds.) (2023). Settler-Indigeneity in the West Bank. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780228019534

·       Reviewed by A.L. Glazer in Religious Studies Review 50(2).

·       McGonigle, I. (2021). Genomic Citizenship: The Molecularization of Identity in the Contemporary Middle East. Cambridge MA: MIT Press. ISBN: 9780262542944, https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/14128.001.0001

·       Reviewed by D. Martin in Social Anthropology/Anthropologie sociale 31(3).

·       Reviewed by I. Löwy in European Journal of Sociology / Archives Européennes de Sociologie, 63(3).

·       Reviewed by K. Kampourakis in The Quarterly Review of Biology 98(1).

·       Reviewed by P.B. Mukharji in American Journal of Sociology 128(3).

·       Reviewed by S.B. Gissis in History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences 44(45).

·       Reviewed by M. Fred in Israel Studies Review 37(2).

·       Reviewed by K. Tölölyan in CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, Vol. 59(10).

Journal Articles

·       Pandian, S. and I. McGonigle (IN PRESS). Engineering Trust in Singapore’s Covid-19 Response. East Asian Science, Technology and Society.

·       Cheung, R. and I. McGonigle (IN PRESS). 'Journey to the Future': Temporal Imaginaries in Contemporary Dubai. Anthropology Today. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12928

·       Vimal, M., W.P. Devi, and I. McGonigle (2023). Generational Medicine in Singapore: A National Biobank for a Greying Nation. East Asian Science, Technology and Society 17(1): 71-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/18752160.2021.1925388

·       McGonigle, I. (2022). ‘Again You Will Plant Vineyards’: Prophecy, Jewish Settlement and Temporal Dissonance in the Occupied West Bank. HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory 12(3): 856–871. https://doi.org/10.1086/723678

·       Reprinted in: Lemasters and Covell (eds) (2024) Holy Waters: An Interdisciplinary Examination of Religion and Alcohol, London: Routledge.

·       Zhang Zhen, Wang Zi-yan, Ian McGonigle (2022). A niche approach on technological evolution in the age of cyborg, 赛博格时代技术进化机制的生态位进路, Studies in Philosophy of Science and Technology, 科学技术哲学研究, 39(6): 78-83. http://kxbz.cbpt.cnki.net/WKG/WebPublication/wkTextContent.aspx?colType=4&yt=2022&tp=gklb

·       Cheung, R., S. Jolly, M. Vimal, H. Kim, and I. McGonigle (2022). ‘Who’s Afraid of Genetic Tests?’: An Assessment of Singapore’s Public Attitudes and Changes in Attitudes After Taking a Genetic Test. BMC Medical Ethics 23:5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12910-022-00744-5

·       Vimal, M., W.P. Devi, and I. McGonigle (2021). GenomeAsia100K: Singapore Builds National Science with Asian DNA. East Asian Science, Technology and Society 15(2): 238-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/18752160.2021.1896138

·       Jasanoff, S., McGonigle, I., and H. Stevens (2021). Science and Technology for Humanity: An STS view from Singapore. East Asian Science, Technology and Society 15(1): 68-78. https://doi.org/10.1080/18752160.2021.1877034

·       McGonigle, I. (2021). National Biobanking in Qatar and Israel: Tracing how Global Scientific Institutions Mediate Local Ethnic Identities. Science, Technology & Society 26(1): 146–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971721820931995

·       Chang, C. and I. McGonigle (2020). Kopi Culture: Consumption, Conservatism and Cosmopolitanism amongst Singapore’s Millennials. Asian Anthropology 19(3): 213-231. https://doi.org/10.1080/1683478X.2020.1726965

·       McGonigle, I. (2019). Genomic Data and the Dividual Self. Genetics Research 101(e12). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016672319000107

·       McGonigle, I. (2019). In Vino Veritas? Indigenous Wine and Indigenization in Israeli Settlements. Anthropology Today 35(4): 7-12. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12515

·       McGonigle, I, and S.C Schuster (2019). Global Science Meets Ethnic Diversity: Ian McGonigle interviews GenomeAsia100k Scientific Chairman Stephan Schuster. Genetics Research 101(e5). https://doi.org/10.1017/S001667231800006X

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2017). Spirits and Molecules: Ethnopharmacology and Symmetrical Epistemological Pluralism. Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology 82(1): 139-164. https://doi.org/10.1080/00141844.2015.1042490

·       McGonigle, I.V. and R. Benjamin (2016). The Molecularization of Identity: Science and Subjectivity in the 21st Century. Genetics Research 98(e12). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016672316000094

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2016). Patenting Nature or Protecting Culture? Ethnopharmacology and Indigenous Intellectual Property Rights. The Journal of Law and the Biosciences 3(1): 217-226. https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsw003

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2016). The Collective Nature of Personalized Medicine. Genetics Research 98(e3). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016672315000270

·       McGonigle, I.V. and N. Shomron (2016). Privacy, Anonymity, and Subjectivity, in Genomic Research. Genetics Research 98(e2). https://doi.org/10.1017/S0016672315000221

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2015). ‘Jewish Genetics’ and the ‘Nature’ of Israeli Citizenship. Transversal: Journal for Jewish Studies 13(2): 90–102. https://doi.org/10.1515/tra-2015-0010

·       McGonigle, I.V. and L. Herman (2015). Genetic Citizenship: DNA Testing and the Israeli Law of Return. The Journal of Law and the Biosciences 2(2): 469-478. https://doi.org/10.1093/jlb/lsv027

·       Corradi, J., A.J. Thompson, I. McGonigle, C. Bouzat, and S.C.R. Lummis (2015). 5-HT3 Receptor Brain-type B-Subunits are Differentially Expressed in Heterologous Systems. ACS Chemical Neuroscience 6(7): 1158-1164. https://doi.org/10.1021/acschemneuro.5b00080

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2013). Khat: Chewing on a Bitter Controversy. Anthropology Today 29(4): 4-7. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8322.12042

·       Ashby, J.A., McGonigle, I.V, Price, K.L., Cohen, N., Comitani, F., Dougherty, D.A., Molteni, C., Lummis, S.C.R. (2012). GABA Binding to an Insect GABA Receptor: A Molecular Dynamics and Mutagenesis Study. Biophysical Journal 103(10): 2071-2081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2012.10.016

·       Thompson, A.J., McGonigle, I, Duke, R., Johnston, G.A., Lummis, S.C. (2012). A Single Amino Acid Determines the Toxicity of Ginkgo biloba Extracts. The FASEB Journal 26(5): 1884-1891. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.11-192765

·       Lummis, S.C., McGonigle, I., Ashby, J, Dougherty, D.A. (2011). Two Amino Acid Residues Contribute to a Cation-π Binding Interaction in the Binding Site of an Insect GABA Receptor. The Journal of Neuroscience 31(34): 12371-12376. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1610-11.2011

·       McGonigle, I., and Lummis, S.C. (2010). Molecular Characterization of Agonists that Bind to an Insect GABA Receptor. Biochemistry 49(13): 2897-2902. https://doi.org/10.1021/bi901698c

·       McGonigle, I., and Lummis, S.C. (2009). RDL Receptors. Biochemical Society Transactions 37(6): 1404-1406. https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0371404

Films

• McGonigle, I. [Director/Producer] (2024). Technologies of the Soul: Ancient Wisdom in the Smart Nation. [A documentary about technological change in contemporary Singapore] (60 min). Licensed by Salt Media in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines. https://smix.asia/index?mid=Technologies-of-the-Soul:-Ancient-Wisdom-in-the-Smart-Nation
• McGonigle, I. [Director/Producer] (2024). Redemption: Wine and Prophecy in the Land of Israel. [An ethnographic film on religious nationalism in Israel] (77 min). Licensed by Salt Media in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines. https://smix.asia/index?mid=Redemption:-Wine-and-Prophecy-in-the-Land-of-Israel

Book Reviews

·       McGonigle, I. (2024). Review of ‘A Race for the Future: Scientific Visions of Modern Russian Jewishness’ by Marina Mogilner. Isis 155(2): 420–421. https://doi.org/10.1086/730230

·       McGonigle, I. (2022). Review of ‘Buried in the Red Dirt: Race, Reproduction, and Death in Modern Palestine’ by Frances S. Hasso. American Journal of Sociology 128(4): 1268-1270. https://doi.org/10.1086/721553

·       McGonigle, I. (2021). Review of ‘Mobilizing Mutations: Human Genetics in the Age of Patient Advocacy’ by Daniel Navon. Journal of the History of Biology 54(4): 769-770. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10739-021-09659-0

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2016). Review of ‘Toward an Anthropology of Nation Building and Unbuilding in Israel,’ Eds. Fran Markowitz, Stephen Sharot, and Moshe Shokeid. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 22(3): 732-732. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.12464

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2015). Review of ‘Biological Relatives: IVF, Stem Cells, and the Future of Kinship’ by Sarah Franklin. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 21(4): 954–955. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.12321

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2014). Review of ‘Soldiering Under Occupation. Processes of Numbing among Israeli Soldiers in the Al-Aqsa Intifada,’ by Erella Grassiani. Social Anthropology 22(4): 503–506. https://doi.org/10.1111/1469-8676.12092_14

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2013). Review of ‘Africa as a Living Laboratory: Empire, Development, and the Problem of Scientific Knowledge, 1870-1950,’ by Helen Tilley. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 19(2): 420-421. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.12042_15

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2013). Review of ‘The Nature of Race: How Scientists Think and Teach about Human Difference,’ by Ann Morning. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 19(2): 413-414. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.12042_9

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2012). Bruno Latour: A Philosophical Critic of ‘Facts’ and ‘Modernity.’ Science as Culture 21(4): 556-560. https://doi.org/10.1080/09505431.2012.685065

Book Contributions

·       Feldman, R. and I. McGonigle (2023). Introduction, In Settler-Indigeneity in the West Bank. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780228019534-003

·       McGonigle, I. (2023). ‘We Came Back’: Winemaking as Storied Performativity, In Settler-Indigeneity in the West Bank. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9780228019534-006

·       McGonigle, I. (2020). Biobanking and “Qatarization”: Ethno-national Identity in the Molecular Realm, In Schwarz and Williams (Eds.), 156-170. Studies on the Social Construction of Identity and Authenticity. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429027987

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2012). ‘Ethnopharmacology’, Afterword In: Bio-Punk: Stories from the Far Side of Research, R. Page, ed. Pp 119-122. Manchester: Comma Press. ISBN-13: 9781905583409

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2012). ‘Personal Genomics’, Afterword In: Bio-Punk: Stories from the Far Side of Research, R. Page, ed. Pp 132-136. Manchester: Comma Press. ISBN-13: 9781905583409

·       McGonigle, I.V. (2012). ‘Articulating the Laboratory’, Afterword In: Bio-Punk: Stories from the Far Side of Research, R. Page, ed. Pp 188-192. Manchester: Comma Press. ISBN-13: 9781905583409

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