Stanford Humanities Center
Color-blind ideology is a form of neo-racism in which persons of the dominant socially-defined race (European Americans) claim that racism is no longer the central factor determining the life chances of persons of non-European descent. Concurrent with the rise of this ideology has been the scientific determination that the human species does not really contain biological races. In contrast to this fact, modern biomedical scientists continue to practice their research as if the socially-defined races of American society result from underlying biological racial differentiation. Aided by new genomic technology, these researchers argue that genetic polymorphisms are driving the health differentials observed in complex disease experienced in modern Western societies. This talk will outline the nature of human biological variation, why that variation does not justify the classification of biological races within the species, but also why genetic polymorphisms are unlikely to be responsible for the ongoing racial differentials in morbidity and mortality faced by socially-subordinated persons in the United States. Finally, the implications of a non-genetic causality to health disparity are discussed.
Dr. Joseph Graves Jr. is associate dean for research and professor of biological
sciences at the Joint School of Nanosciences and Nanoengineering, North Carolina A&T State University and UNC Greensboro. His current research involves the genomics of adaptation, specifically relevant to aging, and the impact of nanoparticles on bacteria.
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