Translations of Race in German Epidemiology

• In Event: Same Same but Different: Race and Racializations across National, Disciplinary and Temporal Contexts - II

Abstract

This paper explores which categories of human diversity are used in German epidemiology to avoid the term “race”, and how they may still carry “absent present” meanings of race (M’charek et al). While in Germany quests for greater inclusion of historically underrepresented groups are increasingly articulated similar to the US, health research is implemented differently in these different national contexts.
In the US, political efforts to even out racial/ethnic (and gender) health inequalities have e.g. led to the inclusion of “all relevant groups” in clinical and epidemiological studies, with the underlying notion that these social identities correspond to relatively distinct kinds of biological bodies (Epstein). In Germany, a renaissance of medical and epidemiological (and other life science) research into human diversity is only in the beginning, but an emerging field. Instead of ‘race’, mostly categories that seem less politically problematic are used, such as "Migrationshintergrund" (migrant background): a formal concept refering to a family history of migration, clearly defined by the German microcensus. On the other hand, “migrant background” is often ethnicised, and essential qualities of race are being ascribed to the group. Different layers of “translation” and racialisation will be described in the talk.

Author

• Andrea zur Nieden, Institute of Sociology, University of Freiburg, Germany