Race: Science's Last Taboo

A season exploring the concept of race and the impact this has on our society

it is what people use to distinguish themselves from others and likely used as an effort to make oneself superior above another

Alina

Of course you can change your looks but race is something you will never change. Whoever thinks their race is better than others is misled.

Haroon

'Race' is a social construct based on pseudo-science, first thought of in order to create hierarchies and endorse colonialism in the C19th.

Nadine

There is only one race: the human race.

Evie

The concentration of visible melatonin and melanocytes in ones epidermis.

Gopal

Race is a competition to see who runs fastest. As a social or biological construct it has no meaning yet creates false divisions.

Juanita Cox

A Fear of difference.

Dean

An overwhelmingly genetic basis on which the man and woman are seperate from others of their species.

Esselle

Race is an excuse to make us feel better about ourselves at the expense of others.

Adefemi

An idea that never existed until a few centuries ago. Human beings have never needed to be a "race" for the majority of their existence.

Anon

Garbage designed to divde humans.

Anon

its a word.

elliott

A way in which to divide the human population into a well devised hierarchy where the 'elite' race give themselves the power of prerogative.

India

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It's difficult to define race

That's why we created this season of programming, which looks at the history and consequences of scientific racism, challenges bad science and debunks the myth that science can support notions of racial hierarchy.

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Last on 26th Oct

Race and Intelligence: Science’s Last Taboo

Rageh Omaar explodes the myths about race and IQ.

Last on 27th Oct

Bleach, Nip, Tuck: The White Beauty Myth episode 1

Examines the growing trend for de-racialisation surgery of the body.

Last on 29th Oct

The Event: How Racist Are You?

Are we all more racist than we realise or would like to admit?

Last on 1st Nov

The Human Zoo: Science’s Dirty Secret

Exploring the disturbing phenomena of early 20th century human zoos.

Last on 2nd Nov

Is It Better To Be Mixed Race?

Is it a biological advantage to have parents of different ethnic backgrounds?

Last on 3rd Nov

Bleach, Nip, Tuck: The White Beauty Myth episode 2

Examines the growing trend for de-racialisation surgery of the face.

POWER

Who Are You Calling A Racist? Dominic Abrams

How racism is embedded in society without us realising it.

Power without Oppression? Dr Funke Baffour

Can we obtain power without oppressing people?

SCIENCE AND MYTHS

Interpreting Science by Bill Amos

Making sense of diverse research with reference to eugenics.

Race: A History

A history of the word and its place in science.

GENETICS AND ENVIRONMENT

The New Language of Diversity by Kenan Malik

Why is race back on the modern social agenda?

Let’s Move On From Race by Jonathan Marks

Should we focus on social equality instead of gene pools?

BEAUTY

Races, Faces, Sex and Science by Katrina Voss

Science writer and former broadcast meteorologist Katrina Voss looks at why we don’t all look the same.

A Eurovision of Beauty?

Dr Amina Mire explores the growing skin whitening industry

GLOSSARY

Not sure what something means? Use our glossary for definitions of specific terms used in this series.

SEE GLOSSARY

TIMELINE

The word ‘race’ was first used to refer to humans during the age of exploration, when Europeans discovered that the world was populated by different peoples. Have attitudes to race changed since then?