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A geneticist and internationally recognized anti-racism educator provides a powerful, science-based rebuttal to common fallacies about human difference.
Well-meaning physicians, parents, and even scientists today often spread misinformation about what biology can and can’t tell us about our bodies, minds, and identities. In this accessible, myth-busting book, geneticist Shoumita Dasgupta draws on the latest science to correct common misconceptions about how much of our social identities are actually based in genetics.
Dasgupta weaves together history, current affairs, and cutting-edge science to break down how genetic concepts are misused and how we can approach scientific evidence in a socially responsible way. With a unifying and intersectional approach disentangling biology from bigotry, the book moves beyond race and gender to incorporate categories like sexual orientation, disability, and class. Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins is an invaluable, empowering resource for biologists, geneticists, science educators, and anyone working against bias in their community.
Well-meaning physicians, parents, and even scientists today often spread misinformation about what biology can and can’t tell us about our bodies, minds, and identities. In this accessible, myth-busting book, geneticist Shoumita Dasgupta draws on the latest science to correct common misconceptions about how much of our social identities are actually based in genetics.
Dasgupta weaves together history, current affairs, and cutting-edge science to break down how genetic concepts are misused and how we can approach scientific evidence in a socially responsible way. With a unifying and intersectional approach disentangling biology from bigotry, the book moves beyond race and gender to incorporate categories like sexual orientation, disability, and class. Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins is an invaluable, empowering resource for biologists, geneticists, science educators, and anyone working against bias in their community.
Price: $29.95
Pages: 286
Publisher: University of California Press
Imprint: University of California Press
Publication Date:
18 February 2025
Trim Size: 9.00 X 6.00 in
ISBN: 9780520397149
Format: Paperback
BISACs:
"The book is a timely contribution to ongoing debates surrounding genetics and identity. In an era where genetic discourse is increasingly shaping public perceptions of identity, Dasgupta emphasises a crucial reminder that biology is never neutral."
Shoumita Dasgupta is the daughter of Bengali immigrants, a woman of color in STEM, and a scientist educator and geneticist. She is Professor of Medicine and Assistant Dean of Diversity & Inclusion at Boston University, a Fulbright Specialist, and a member of the inaugural cohort of faculty affiliates at the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research.
Contents
List of Figures, Tables, and Text Box
1. Why Me?
PART I WHAT DOES SCIENCE TELL US?
2. On the Origins of Bias
3. The Flawed Premise of Genetic Essentialism
4. Biology of Human Populations—Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry
5. Biology of Human Populations—Sex and Gender
6. Pregnancy, Bodily Autonomy, and Reproductive Justice
7. Disability
8. What Genetics Doesn’t Fully Explain—Sociobehavioral Genetics and Society
PART II HISTORY AND POLICY
9. Contemporary Eugenics and Its Historical Roots
10. Personal Genetic Information, Privacy, and the Justice System
PART III GENETICS IN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
11. Who Gets Left Behind
12. Race-Based Medicine
13. The Future of Genomic Medicine
PART IV INTEGRATING THESE STORIES
14. Our Shared Responsibilities
Afterword. A Call to Action
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
List of Figures, Tables, and Text Box
1. Why Me?
PART I WHAT DOES SCIENCE TELL US?
2. On the Origins of Bias
3. The Flawed Premise of Genetic Essentialism
4. Biology of Human Populations—Race, Ethnicity, and Ancestry
5. Biology of Human Populations—Sex and Gender
6. Pregnancy, Bodily Autonomy, and Reproductive Justice
7. Disability
8. What Genetics Doesn’t Fully Explain—Sociobehavioral Genetics and Society
PART II HISTORY AND POLICY
9. Contemporary Eugenics and Its Historical Roots
10. Personal Genetic Information, Privacy, and the Justice System
PART III GENETICS IN SCIENCE AND MEDICINE
11. Who Gets Left Behind
12. Race-Based Medicine
13. The Future of Genomic Medicine
PART IV INTEGRATING THESE STORIES
14. Our Shared Responsibilities
Afterword. A Call to Action
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Bibliography
Index