Pollock recognizes the problematics of the bifurcation between global South/North but notes that “Africa” is an actor’s category and marks inequalities that cannot be ignored. She distinguishes between global science and local knowledge in her analysis: “Whereas ethnographic exploration of efforts to pharmaceutically exploit botanical products and traditional knowledge foregrounds the conflict between local knowledge and global science (Hayden, 2003; Langwick, 2011), iThemba offers an opportunity to explore a Global South site that seeks not to translate local knowledge into global science, but to participate in global science itself.” (855).
She seems to be favoring the eco and nano levels of analysis, largely focusing on how the scientists imagine the future. She notes the historical and ecological conditions that have shaped the current moment.
