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Is Science Racist?

Series: Debating Race
3.97 goodreads logo

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( 91 ratings, 16 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Jonathan Marks explores the contentious history and ongoing issues surrounding race in science, particularly genetics. He reveals how the erroneous belief in natural racial categories persists despite lacking biological or genetic foundation. Marks argues race should be understood through humanities disciplines—historically, experientially, and politically—rather than as a scientific concept. The book offers a wise and witty examination of scientific racism’s legacy and the misuse of scientific authority to justify social inequality.
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Format: Hardback
$9599
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in the intersection of science, race, and society, including students and researchers in genetics, anthropology, and the humanities. It is also valuable for anyone seeking to understand the complex relationship between race and science with a critical, historically informed perspective.

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Every arena of science has its own flash-point issues chemistry and poison gas, physics and the atom bomb and genetics has had a troubled history with race. As Jonathan Marks reveals, this dangerous relationship rumbles on to this day, still leaving plenty of leeway for a belief in the basic natural inequality of races.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Every arena of science has its own flash-point issues—chemistry and poison gas, physics and the atom bomb—and genetics has had a troubled history with race. As Jonathan Marks reveals, this dangerous relationship rumbles on to this day, still leaving plenty of leeway for a belief in the basic natural inequality of races.

The eugenic science of the early twentieth century and the commodified genomic science of today are unified by the mistaken belief that human races are naturalistic categories. Yet their boundaries are founded neither in biology nor in genetics and, not being a formal scientific concept, race is largely not accessible to the scientist. As Marks argues, race can only be grasped through the humanities: historically, experientially, politically.

This wise, witty essay explores the persistence and legacy of scientific racism, which misappropriates the authority of science and undermines it by converting it into a social weapon.

Is Science Racist? invites readers to consider these critical issues deeply and challenges us to understand the real implications of scientific claims linked to race.

Series: Debating Race

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  • Is Affirmative Action Fair?
    Is Affirmative Action Fair? by Natasha Warikoo explores the contentious issue of affirmative action in college admissions – the consideration of an applicant's status as part of an underrepresented group during selection decisions. This policy has been the subject of heated public debate. Some argue that it undermines racial equity, while others believe it promotes equal opportunity in a racially...
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  • Are Black Men Doomed?
    Life for too many African American men is a battle with extreme disadvantage, a fight for survival, and a struggle for dignity in a society which labels them a "problem." For more than 30 years, most of the effort put toward addressing the crisis of Black men has centred on what they must do to improve their condition. Without neglecting...
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  • Is Free Speech Racist?
    The question of free speech is never far from the headlines and frequently declared to be in crisis. Starting from the observation that such debates so often focus on what can and cannot be said in relation to race, Gavan Titley asks why racism has become so central to intense disputes about the status and remit of freedom of speech....
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  • Is Free Speech Racist?
    The question of free speech is never far from the headlines and is frequently declared to be in crisis. Starting from the observation that such debates so often focus on what can and cannot be said in relation to race, Gavan Titley asks why racism has become so central to intense disputes about the status and remit of freedom of...
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  • Is Science Racist?
    Every arena of science has its own flash-point issues—chemistry and poison gas, physics and the atom bomb—and genetics has had a troubled history with race. As Jonathan Marks reveals, this dangerous relationship rumbles on to this day, still leaving plenty of leeway for a belief in the basic natural inequality of races. The eugenic science of the early twentieth century...
    Hardback
    $9599
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Acclaimed by experts, the book is praised for its accessible and insightful critique of scientific racism. Alondra Nelson commends Marks for revealing race as a 'science fiction' with little empirical support, urging all interested in the topic to read it. Agustín Fuentes highlights its importance as a cautionary tale for scientists, emphasising its value for both researchers and students. NPR’s Barbara J. King notes the strong claims supported by numerous examples, underscoring that our genome reveals less about race than commonly believed.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780745689210

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 27 January 2017

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 122.0mm

Height: 188.0mm

Weight: 249g

Pages: 140

About the Author

Jonathan Marks is Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte

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