The Edinburgh Race Lectures:

‘Science, Racism and Academia’ by Angela Saini, British Science Journalist, Broadcaster and Author

Chaired by Dr Shaira Vadasaria, Lecturer in Race and Decolonial Studies, The University of Edinburgh

Tuesday 28th July 2020

5.30 p.m.

Join us for this event featuring Angela Saini, in conversation about the concept of race, from its origins to the present day. We like to believe that we have moved beyond scientific racism, that most people accept race as a social construct, not a biological one. But race science is experiencing a revival. Even well-intentioned scientists, through their use of racial categories in genetics and medicine, betray their suspicion that race has some basis in biology. In truth, it is no more real than it was hundreds of years ago, when our racial hierarchies were devised by those in power. What can universities do to combat the persistent legacy of scientific racism, and make institutions fairer and more inclusive?

If you would like to attend, please register via Eventbrite. A link to join the virtual event will follow.

There will be a live Q&A during the event. Questions can be submited in advance to protocol.office@ed.ac.uk.

Angela Saini is an award-winning British science journalist and broadcaster. She presents science programmes on the BBC, and her writing has appeared in New Scientist, The Sunday Times, National Geographic and Wired. Her latest book, Superior: the Return of Race Science, was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize and named a book of the year by The Telegraph, Nature and Financial Times. Her previous book, Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong, has been translated into thirteen languages. Angela has a Masters in Engineering from the University of Oxford and was a Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Edinburgh Race Lectures are a series of events organised in collaboration with RACE.ED

RACE.ED is a cross-university network concerned with race, racialization and decolonial studies from a multidisciplinary perspective.

RACE.ED showcases excellence in teaching, research and knowledge, exchange, impact (KEI) in race and decolonial studies at The University of Edinburgh.

The work of the network seeks to support an understanding of the persistence of race and racialization as both historical projects and dynamic phenomenon that shape the present.

PLEASE NOTE:

If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact the organiser at protocol.office@ed.ac.uk.

In order to facilitate some of our online bookings for other events, we use Eventbrite - a third party service which is not operated by the University of Edinburgh, Details of Eventbrite's privacy policy can be found at: https://www.ed.ac.uk/events/eventbrite-privacy-policy.

If you would like to submit a question in advance, please send directly to protocol.office@ed.ac.uk

You will receive a link to watch the live event via email in due course.

The Edinburgh Race Lectures: 'Science, Racism, and Academia'