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Bioscientific concepts of human diversity and politics of inequality have long been intertwined in efforts to order and classify people. The contributors to this volume critically examine the particular ways in which these concepts are constituted and applied across various national contexts and within different life science disciplines, including genetics, medicine, forensics, anthropology, epidemiology, and microbiome research. By highlighting cases outside the dominant research focus on the United States, the authors unpack the epistemological foundations, inherent ambiguities, and political dimensions underlying key classifications-such as race, ethnicity, ancestry, and migration background.
About the author
Tino Plümecke ist Soziologe an der Universität Freiburg. Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte liegen in den Science and Technology Studies und fokussieren Theorien zu Diskriminierung sowie and Critical Race Studies, insbesondere die Geschichte sowie aktuelle Entwicklungen in der Genetik sowie (Post-)Genomik.Veronika Lipphardt is a professor of science and technology studies at the University College Freiburg, Germany. She has worked on the history of the life sciences in the 20th century, particularly on the history of physical anthropology and human population genetics in their political, social, and cultural contexts. Recently, her research has focused on forensic DNA analysis and population genetic studies of vulnerable populations.Andrea zur Nieden (Dr. phil.), Soziologin, ist wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin am Institut für Geschichte der Medizin an der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. Sie arbeitet u.a. zur Soziologie und Geschichte der Medizin und des Körpers.Michael Guggenheim (Dr. phil.) ist Soziologe an der Universität Zürich.Marion Müller (Prof. Dr.) ist Professorin für Soziologie an der Universität Tübingen.
Summary
Bioscientific concepts of human diversity and politics of inequality have long been intertwined in efforts to order and classify people. The contributors to this volume critically examine the particular ways in which these concepts are constituted and applied across various national contexts and within different life science disciplines, including genetics, medicine, forensics, anthropology, epidemiology, and microbiome research. By highlighting cases outside the dominant research focus on the United States, the authors unpack the epistemological foundations, inherent ambiguities, and political dimensions underlying key classifications—such as race, ethnicity, ancestry, and migration background.
