Science of Race

Since the end of the Second World War mainstream scientific opinion has held no interest in subdividing people by physical appearance. However, new drugs in the United States have been developed which target specific ethnic groups. Why has this happened? What implications does it hold for wider society? Is it even a scientifically valid thing to do?

Marek Kohn has written about this subject in books and articles for ten years. He wants to get to the roots of why this debate is happening at all. What lies behind it? What beliefs do people have – latent or expressed – that might be driving it?

David Skinner, from Anglia Ruskin University, writes on the changing role of science in the public debate about race and racism. How are recent developments in biology impacting on the public idea of race? How might this shape our society in the future?

Staffan Mueller-Wille of the University of Exeter is interested in why the idea of race is such a powerful one. He says races are essentially arbitrary classifications, with apparently very little descriptive value. However, people keep returning to these ideas. Why should this be? What is it about them that is so tempting?

Peter Forster, from Anglia Ruskin University, runs Roots For Real, a company which offers to study people’s genetic history for a fee. What’s behind the popularity of these services? How much can they tell us? And what surprises lie in store for people looking for a clear racial identity?

So can the idea of race be consigned to the dustbin of history, as was expected after the Second World War? Should it be? And if it isn’t, what does the future hold?

Event organised by:
The Science Museum

Speakers

Peter Forster, Researcher in Archaeogenetics, Anglia Ruskin University
Marek Kohn, author
Staffan Mueller-Wille, ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society, University of Exeter
David Skinner, Humanities and Social Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University

Facilitator:
Lisa O’Sullivan, Senior Medical Curator, The Science Museum