Sexism and racism in science and society - a conversation with Angela Saini

The Halkes Women Faculty Network Nijmegen invited to the event Sexism and racism in science and society - a conversation with Angela Saini.

DAY & TIME: Wednesday, June 23, 2021, from 12:00-13:15
LOCATION: Zoom 
LANGUAGE: English
ADMISSION: FREE

"For millennia, dominant groups have had the habit of framing themselves to be the best, deep down: the more powerful they become, the more power begins to be framed as natural. " -- Angela Saini

Feminist movements have been bringing up the topic of the unfair treatment of women in society for more than a hundred and fifty years. In the wake of the global uprising against anti-Black, racist police violence - sparked by the killing of Black Americans George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others - the urgency to address structural racism in our institutions has reached new heights. But to really confront sexism and systemic racism in academia and society, we need to ask some very basic questions. Why do so many people still think that women are very different and inferior to men in many aspects, or that "race" has a valid biological or genetic basis, even though research and history show it does not? What really *is* the concept of race? What are the origins of these ideas in the sciences? And how can we deconstruct these assumptions to dismantle patriarchy and white supremacy in academia and society at large?

We were discussing all these topics with Angela Saini, an award-winning science journalist and author, whose print and broadcast work has appeared on the BBC and in the Guardian, in The Financial Times, Wired and Science. Her latest book, "Superior: The Return of Race Science", was published in May 2019 to enormous critical acclaim. Her previous book "Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong" was published in 2017, topping many lists, including the Physics World Book of the Year and has been translated into thirteen languages.

Participation was free and open to all faculties.