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Why genes don't count (for racial differences in health)

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  • Goodman, A.H.

Abstract

There is a paradoxical relationship between 'race' and genetics. Whereas genetic data were first used to prove the validity of race, since the early 1970s they have been used to illustrate the invalidity of biological races. Indeed, race does not account for human genetic variation, which is continuous, complexly structured, constantly changing, and predominantly within 'races.' Despite the disproof of race-as-biology, genetic variation continues to be used to explain racial differences. Such explanations require the acceptance of 2 disproved assumptions: that genetic variation explains variation in disease and that genetic variation explains racial variation in disease. While the former is a form of geneticization, the notion that genes are the primary determinants of biology and behavior, the latter represents a form of racialization, an exaggeration of the salience of race. Using race as a proxy for genetic differences limits understandings of the complex interactions among political-economic processes, lived experiences, and human biologies. By moving beyond studies of racialized genetics, we can clarify the processes by which varied and interwoven forms of racialization and racism affect individuals 'under the skin'.

Suggested Citation

  • Goodman, A.H., 2000. "Why genes don't count (for racial differences in health)," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 90(11), pages 1699-1702.
  • Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:2000:90:11:1699-1702_9
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    Cited by:

    1. Reanne Frank, 2015. "Back to the Future? The Emergence of a Geneticized Conceptualization of Race in Sociology," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 661(1), pages 51-64, September.
    2. Hunt, Linda M. & Megyesi, Mary S., 2008. "The ambiguous meanings of the racial/ethnic categories routinely used in human genetics research," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 349-361, January.
    3. Kaufman, Jay S., 2008. "Epidemiologic analysis of racial/ethnic disparities: Some fundamental issues and a cautionary example," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1659-1669, April.
    4. Do, D. Phuong & Finch, Brian Karl & Basurto-Davila, Ricardo & Bird, Chloe & Escarce, Jose & Lurie, Nicole, 2008. "Does place explain racial health disparities? Quantifying the contribution of residential context to the Black/white health gap in the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 67(8), pages 1258-1268, October.

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