Genomic research, publics and experts in Latin America: Nation, race and body

Peter Wade, Carlos López Beltrán, Eduardo Restrepo, Ricardo Ventura Santos

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Abstract

The articles in this issue highlight contributions that studies of Latin America can make to wider debates about the effects of genomic science on public ideas about race and nation. We argue that current ideas about the power of genomics to transfigure and transform existing ways of thinking about human diversity are often over-stated. If a range of social contexts are examined, the effects are uneven. Our data show that genomic knowledge can unsettle and reinforce ideas of nation and race; it can be both banal and highly politicized. In this introduction we outline: concepts of genetic knowledge in society; theories of genetics, nation and race; approaches to public understandings of science; and the Latin American contexts of transnational ideas of nation and race.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)775-796
Number of pages21
JournalSocial Studies of Science
Volume45
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 23 Dec 2015

Keywords

  • genomics, race, nation, public understanding of science, heredity, forensics

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