The Return Of Race Science

Code Switch

NPR

Society & Culture

4.6 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 10 July 2019

⏱️ 22 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In the 19th century it was mainstream science to believe in a racial hierarchy. But after WWII, the scientific world turned its back on eugenics and the study of racial difference. We speak to author Angela Saini, who says that race science is back.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Would you dare question who you really are?
0:07.0	A travel company called Mamando wants to know.
0:11.0	One of their ads starts with a rotating cast of characters discussing their identities and their ethnic pride.
0:18.0	I'm really patriotic about Bangladesh.
0:20.0	Well, I am 100% like Slanic Air, definitely.
0:24.0	But then the interviewers ask them about their...
0:29.0	Let's say issues with certain kinds of people.
0:32.0	Think about other countries and other nationalities in the world.
0:36.0	Are there any that you don't feel you get on with well or you won't like particularly?
0:42.0	Germany.
0:44.0	Yeah, not family Germans.
0:46.0	Particularly India and Pakistan probably because of the whole conflict.
0:50.0	Because I have this side of me that hates Turkish people.
0:53.0	Not people, but the government.
0:56.0	So in this ad for a company that aggregates deals on flights and hotels,
1:02.0	the people get a DNA test that looks a lot like the home kids that you see advertised on TV.
1:08.0	So do you know how DNA works?
1:10.0	So you get half from mum and half from dad.
1:13.0	And so they have these unusually comfortable bigots,
1:17.0	spitting to a tube like you do for these DNA tests.
1:20.0	Do you remember we did that for the show once?
1:22.0	Oh indeed.
	...

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