Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Homogeneity And Heterogeneity As Situational Properties: Producing – And Moving Beyond? – Race In Post-Genomic Science, J. K. Shim, K. W. Darling, M. D. Lappe, Laura Katherine Thomson, Sandra Soo-Jin Lee, R. A. Hiatt, S. L. Ackerman

Sociology

In this article, we explore current thinking and practices around the logics of difference in gene–environment interaction research in the post-genomic era. We find that scientists conducting gene–environment interaction research continue to invoke well-worn notions of racial difference and diversity, but use them strategically to try to examine other kinds of etiologically significant differences among populations. Scientists do this by seeing populations not as inherently homogeneous or heterogeneous, but rather by actively working to produce homogeneity along some dimensions and heterogeneity along others in their study populations. Thus we argue that homogeneity and heterogeneity are situational properties – properties that …