The Racial Economy Of Science Toward A Democratic Future Race Gender And Science !!link!! Jun 2026

Historically, scientific research has often been used to justify racial hierarchies. From the "craniometry" of the 19th century to the unethical Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the "neutral" mask of science has frequently shielded projects that exploited or marginalized non-Western peoples. Harding and her colleagues argue that recognizing these biases isn't "anti-science"; rather, it is a necessary step toward making science more rigorous and honest. Intersecting Identities: Race and Gender in the Lab

The "racial economy" refers to who gets funded, what questions are deemed "worthy" of investigation, and who is invited into the laboratory. Historically, scientific research has often been used to

To build a truly democratic future, we must peel back the layers of this economy. We must acknowledge that science has been weaponized to justify oppression, that its current structures rely on systemic inequality, and that the path forward requires a radical restructuring of who gets to ask the questions and who benefits from the answers. Intersecting Identities: Race and Gender in the Lab