{"product_id":"the-social-life-of-dna-race-reparations-and-reconciliation-after-the-genome-9780807027189","title":"The Social Life of DNA: Race, Reparations, and Reconciliation After the Genome","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe unexpected story of how genetic testing is affecting race in America \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWe know DNA is a master key that unlocks medical and forensic secrets, but its genealogical life is both revelatory and endlessly fascinating. Tracing genealogy is now the second-most popular hobby amongst Americans, as well as the second-most visited online category. This billion-dollar industry has spawned popular television shows, websites, and Internet communities, and a booming heritage tourism circuit. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe tsunami of interest in genetic ancestry tracing from the African American community has been especially overwhelming. In \u003ci\u003eThe Social Life of DNA\u003c\/i\u003e, Alondra Nelson takes us on an unprecedented journey into how the double helix has wound its way into the heart of the most urgent contemporary social issues around race. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor over a decade, Nelson has deeply studied this phenomenon. Artfully weaving together keenly observed interactions with root-seekers alongside illuminating historical details and revealing personal narrative, she shows that genetic genealogy is a new tool for addressing old and enduring issues. In \u003ci\u003eThe Social Life of DNA\u003c\/i\u003e, she explains how these cutting-edge DNA-based techniques are being used in myriad ways, including grappling with the unfinished business of slavery: to foster reconciliation, to establish ties with African ancestral homelands, to rethink and sometimes alter citizenship, and to make legal claims for slavery reparations specifically based on ancestry. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNelson incisively shows that DNA is a portal to the past that yields insight for the present and future, shining a light on social traumas and historical injustices that still resonate today. Science can be a crucial ally to activism to spur social change and transform twenty-first-century racial politics. But Nelson warns her readers to be discerning: for the social repair we seek can't be found in even the most sophisticated science. Engrossing and highly original, \u003ci\u003eThe Social Life of DNA\u003c\/i\u003e is a must-read for anyone interested in race, science, history and how our reckoning with the past may help us to chart a more just course for tomorrow.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlondra Nelson \u003c\/b\u003eis Dean of Social Science and professor of sociology and gender studies at Columbia University. She is author of the award-winning book \u003ci\u003eBody and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight Against Medical Discrimination\u003c\/i\u003e and her writing has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Science, Boston Globe\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eGuardian\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in New York City.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Beacon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50845399515410,"sku":"9780807027189","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_b8e5dc16-3a00-41e8-a2f6-636ccdf00228.jpg?v=1737350065","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-social-life-of-dna-race-reparations-and-reconciliation-after-the-genome-9780807027189","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}