A sociogenomic world

Abstract

This chapter discusses a paradigm shift in the genomic sciences wherein scientists have gone from ignoring race to studying it. It argues that the field has adopted a sociogenomic approach to race, in which scientists understand race as a muddled mix of genetic and social factors. Scientists responsible for seminal genome projects, who have faced pressure from the US public health establishment and an array of experts on race, now prioritize race-targeted research, minority recruitment, and analysis of genomic health disparities. As a result large-scale sequencing projects, pharmaceuticals, and postgenomic research have become ever more racialized, while race has taken on an irrevocably genomic imprimatur. This paradigm shift has occurred because of changes across a number of powerful social domains of expertise within science, medicine, and policy. This chapter thus draws upon events taking place in a variety of institutional, regulatory, and normative contexts.