Saturday, October 21, 2017
All day event
Huddleston Hall, University of New Hampshire
Event Type
(none)
Contact
JerriAnne Boggis
Campus
Durham
Event Url
Link
https://calendar.unh.edu/EventDetails.aspx?EventDetailId=32539
THE SCIENCE & ENGINEERING OF RACE: Living Through the Archives
Modern medical and social sciences have made some extraordinary advances through the exploitation of Black bodies while simultaneously allowing myths of racial inferiority to continue as justification for centuries of enslavement and political disenfranchisement.
From the Tuskegee syphilis experiment to the unethical use of Henrietta Lacks’ cells to engineer a polio vaccine, to the ongoing forced sterilization of Black women in clinics and prisons, the story of American scientific advancement carries with it a shadow story of ethical corruption, pain, and silencing. The insidious parallel fictions of the innate athleticism, super strength and natural rhythm of African people are rooted in pseudo-scientific research and writings.
In unpacking this theme, conference presenters are encouraged to examine the historical and current impact of ‘race science’ and pseudoscientific movements to present ‘race as destiny’ on fields of inquiry ranging on areas of modern medicine and health care, reproductive rights, public policy, criminal law, civil rights, athletics, educational access, and effects on the arts and entertainment industries.
Panelists and speakers should demonstrate ways that African-American intellectuals, activists, artists, and social scientists have grappled with the complexities of ‘race science’ and its contemporary iterations in popular culture. Additionally, through specific examples, such as the reclaiming of Portsmouth’s colonial-era African Burying Ground, presenters will examine how the unprecedented popularity of genetic testing is affecting race relations in America today.
Through discussion of these medical and forensic abuses, the conference will uncover past and present applications of scientific fictions that have codified racial hierarchies, and sustain pervasive beliefs with public policies that continue to shape all areas of American life.