They Say It's in the Genes

Decoding Racial Ideology in Genomics

Bibliographic Data

ID2365353
AuthorsJohnny E Williams (0000-0002-2859-4985, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut,), Johnny Williams (0009-0007-2521-4581, Hartford Financial Services (United States), corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume40
Issue5
Pages550-581
Publication date2011-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Contemporary Ethnography (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0891-2416 • E-ISSN: 1552-5414
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0891241611412779
OpenAlexW2141216476
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited60

Science is delving into genetics more deeply and thoroughly than ever before, and in the process, scientists are uncovering new layers of "truth" about the essence of humanity and human disease. But in a social world colored by inequalities and value judgments that place some members of humanity above others, to what degree is genome science codifying ideology in our very genes? Thirty secondary interviews with genome researchers from various subfields are analyzed to determine the extent to which the ideology of "race" enters their discourse on genome variation. Findings suggest that unexamined and unrecognized racial thinking is an integral part of genetic researchers' interpretations and understandings of genetic variation

Biology · Epistemology · Gene · Genetic discrimination · Genetic testing · Genome · Genomics · Human genome · Humanity · Ideology · Political science · Politics · Race (biology · Sociology · Value (mathematics · Variation (astronomy · Computer Science · Forensic and Genetic Research · Gender Studies · Philosophy · Race, Genetics, and Society · Zoonotic diseases and public health · Genetics

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