It might seem as though the way we think about race now is how we’ve always thought about it—but it isn’t. Race was born out of the Enlightenment in Europe, along with the invention of modern western science. And it was tied to the politics of the age—imperialism and later slavery. This episode traces the origins of race science to the Enlightenment, examines how the Bible influenced racial theories, and considers how we still have a hard time letting go of the idea of race.
About Innate: How Science Invented the Myth of Race“Origin Stories” is Episode 1 of Innate: How Science Invented the Myth of Race, a podcast and magazine project that explores the historical roots and persistent legacies of racism in American science and medicine. Published through Distillations, the Science History Institute’s highly acclaimed digital content platform, the project examines the scientific origins of support for racist theories, practices, and policies. Innate is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
CreditsHosts: Alexis Pedrick and Elisabeth Berry Drago
Senior Producer: Mariel Carr
Producer: Rigoberto Hernandez
Assistant Producer: Padmini Ragunath
Audio Engineer: Jonathan Pfeffer
"Innate Theme" composed by Jonathan Pfeffer. Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions.
Special thanks to our colleagues, Jacqueline Boytim and James Voelkel, for their help with this episode.
Archaeology under the Blinding Light of Race, by Michael Blakey
Breathing Race into the Machine: the Surprising Career of the Spirometer from Plantation to Genetics, by Lundy Braun
Divine Variations: How Christian Thought Became Racial Science, by Terence Keel
Fatal Invention: How Science, Politics, and Big Business Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century, by Dorothy Roberts
"Jesus Loves the little Children," song by Cedarmont Kids
Medicalizing Blackness: Making Racial Differences in the Atlantic World, 1780-1840, by Rana Hogarth
The Nuremberg Chronicle, by Hartmann Schedel
Superior: The Return of Race Science, by Angela Saini
Find the full transcript here.
BONUS EPISODE: Jane Hodgson
Roe v. Wade v. Rubella
Preview: Roe v. Wade v. Rubella
Promo: LIVE Halloween show!
The Alzheimer's Copernicus Problem, Part 1
The Alzheimer’s Copernicus Problem, Part 2
Preview: The Alzheimer's Copernicus Problem
Science on TV
Preview: Fall 2019
Rare Earths: The Hidden Cost to Their Magic, Part 2
Rare Earths: The Hidden Cost to Their Magic, Part 1
Preview: Rare Earths
The Myth of the Cuyahoga River Fire
Preview: The Myth of the Cuyahoga River Fire
High Steaks at the Border
Preview: High Steaks at the Border
Making the Deserts Bloom
Preview: Making The Deserts Bloom
Love, Hate, and Sex from the History of Science
Sex(ism), Drugs, and Migraines
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra