In the late 1980s the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health combined forces to begin the Human Genome Project, a scientific effort to sequence and map the entire human genome. This project, which will complete its mission some time in the next few years, seeks to lay scientific foundations so that we may one day better understand the evolutionary heritage of life on earth and unlock our understanding of development and disease in all forms of life.
For nearly half a century scientists have understood that race is a social, not a scientific concept. Yet, the vast majority of the world’s population still believes that races and racial characteristics are legitimate and real scientific categories. This paper will explore how both technological changes within the biological sciences(Genomics) AND changes in the American racial Zeitgeist are bringing about a transformation in how the natural and social sciences view and propagate the concept of race.
These changes will have a profound impact on the language and ideology of racial thought, and will influence, for better or worse, popular conceptions of race and race relations. Genomics will greatly effect the ways in which both public health and medical professionals interact with diverse populations at both the clinical and experimental level. This paper will explore the role of genetics and genomics in redefining race in both the scientific and social lexicon. It will also discuss the Human Genome Diversity Project--an attempt to map out the human family tree--and its role in these "race debates."
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: History, Ethnicity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.