Superior: The Return of Race Science

Financial Times Book of the Year Telegraph Top 50 Books of the Year Guardian Book of the Year New Statesman Book of the Year ‘Roundly debunks racism’s core lie – that inequality is to do with genetics, rather than political power’ Reni Eddo-Lodge For millennia, dominant societies have had the habit of believing their own people to be the best, deep down: the more powerful they become, the more power begins to be framed as natural, as well as cultural. When you see how power has shaped the idea of race, then you can start to understand its meaning. In the twenty-first century, we like to believe that we have moved beyond scientific racism, that most people accept race as a social construct, not a biological one. But race science is experiencing a revival, fuelled by the misuse of science by certain political groups. Even well-intentioned scientists, through their use of racial categories in genetics and medicine, betray their suspicion that race has some basis in biology. In truth, it is no more real than it was hundreds of years ago, when our racial hierarchies were devised by those in power. In Superior, award-winning author Angela Saini explores the concept of race, from its origins to the present day. Engaging with geneticists, anthropologists, historians and social scientists from across the globe, Superior is a rigorous, much needed examination of the insidious and destructive nature of race science. Angela Saini's Superior is a profound exploration of the history and anthropology of race, examining the ethics of discrimination and the complex relations between power, perception, and science. It is a powerful critique of the misuse of science for political ends, and a call to action against the destructive nature of race science. For fans of Soraya Chemaly (Believe Me), Laura Bates (Fix the System, Not the Women), David Graeber (Pirate Enlightenment, or the Real Libertalia), Cat Bohannon (Eve), and Kate Manne (Down Girl). For fans of David Graeber (Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology), Adam Rutherford Phd (How to Argue With a Racist), Laura Bates (Sisters of Sword and Shadow), Reni Eddo-Lodge (Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race), and Janina Ramirez (The Private Lives of the Saints).