ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

Human Isolates and Population Admixtures: The Changing Politics of Human Genetics in the 20th and 21st Centuries

Session Submission Type: Organized Session

English Abstract

Scholars and the general public grew fascinated by both isolated human communities, and interbred populations long before human diversity became a subject of scientific investigation. Then, anthropologists and, later, geneticists provided the scientific basis for two complementary methodological toolkits that are still in use today: 'isolate' and 'admixture' studies, respectively. As we know, the concept of race played a key role throughout this history. Yet, the study of both human interbreeding and purportedly inbred/endogenous populations was driven by a broad range of scientific and political motivations. Eugenicists, anthropologists, geneticists, epidemiologists and other population-based scientists embarked on investigations that effectively entwined national (or regional) identities with phenotypical traits, driven by their own specific agendas. The aim of this session is to delve into this complex history and reflect on the changing uses, scientific as much as political, of endogamy and intermixing over time. For this purpose, we invited four speakers to present their research on a wide range of national contexts: Northern and Southern America, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle-East. The variety of case studies will also enable reflection on the role of transnational contexts and national traditions in the study of human population. Although we intend to adopt a medium-term perspective, and reflect on the transformations that occurred throughout the 20th century, special attention will be paid to the second half of that century, when race sparked new, heated discussions and alternatives were promoted.

Sub Unit

• Organized Session

Chair

• Jaehwan Hyun, Hanyang University

Individual Presentations

• “With the children of the Moon”: Newton Freire-Maia study on albinism and its public repercussions in Brazil - Ana Carolina Vimieiro, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

• Between Mestizo/admixed genes and Indigenous/“purified” genomes - Carlos Lopez Beltran, Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas - National Autonomous University of Mexico

• The (Scientific) Advantages of Segregation: Human Isolates and the Making of Genetic Epidemiology - Luc Berlivet, French National Centre for Scientific Research; Catherine Bourgain, French National Institute of Health and Medical Research

Session Organizer

• Luc Berlivet, French National Centre for Scientific Research