Roberts, Preface & The Invention of Race, Fatal Invention

Also by Dorothy Roberts

  • Fatal Invention

  • Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty

  • How Science, Politics, and Big Business Shattered Bonds: Re-create Race in the Twenty-first Century

  • The Color of Child Welfare

Publication Information

  • Author: Dorothy Roberts

  • Publisher: The New Press

  • First Published: 2011

  • ISBN: 978-1-59558-834-0 (pbk), 978-1-59558-691-9 (e-book)

Dedication

  • Dedicated to Roberts’ parents for their teachings.

Permissions

  • All rights reserved. No reproduction in any form without written permission from the Publisher.

  • Permissions requests to be directed to the New Press.

Preface Overview

  • Quote from Nicholas Wade: Discusses the role of evolutionary pressures in human races.

  • FDA Approval of BiDil: A heart failure drug specific for self-identified black patients, initiating a discussion on personalized medicine.

  • Healthcare Deficits: An example from Miami where budget cuts impacted life-sustaining treatments for the poor.

  • Police Treatment of Migrants: A reference to a video revealing the brutal treatment of a detained individual.

Themes in Preface

  • Resurgence of Race-Based Science: There is a growing trend towards race-based classifications in genetics and health services.

  • Biological Theories of Race: The book explores how scientific discoveries propagate the notion that racial differences are significant.

  • Social Implications: Examines how government regulation utilizes race classifications, contributing to inequalities.

  • Biopolitics: Focuses on how genomics is reshaping social hierarchies through race-based distinctions.

Emerging Concepts

  1. Genomic Research and Racial Definitions

    • Some researchers believe genetic variations validate outdated racial categories.

  2. Race-Based Biotechnologies

    • Development of products and services are marketed along racial lines.

  3. Policies Affecting Minority Communities

    • 'Color-blind' policies that ultimately disadvantage poor communities.

Historical Context and Challenges

  • Discusses the trajectory from the Human Genome Project's findings that race has no biological basis to its implications for current racial discussions in America.

  • President Obama: The era was thought to usher in a ‘post-racial’ society, complicating perceptions of racial inequality.

State Control and Racial Classification

  • The government uses genetic research to reinforce racial categories, leading to social implications such as mass incarceration and healthcare disparities.

Biography of Race

  • Race is depicted as a political construct, established through legal and historical frameworks rather than biological differences.

Misconceptions about Race

  • The book argues against the dichotomy of race as a biological fact, emphasizing the importance of recognizing race as fundamentally a political issue crucial to addressing systemic inequalities.