📖 Overview
Race, Class, Gender, Science: A Sourcebook compiles key readings examining the intersection of social categories and scientific knowledge production. The text brings together writings from scholars across sociology, anthropology, gender studies, and science & technology studies.
The book organizes its selections around major themes including the historical development of scientific institutions, gender bias in research methodologies, race and medicine, class disparities in healthcare access, and feminist critiques of scientific authority. Contributors analyze both contemporary issues and landmark historical cases that demonstrate how social power relations have shaped scientific practice.
Each section includes introductory material providing context and highlighting connections between the readings. Primary source documents, academic articles, and analytical essays offer varied perspectives on how race, class, and gender influence scientific work.
The compilation reveals how scientific knowledge reflects and reinforces existing social hierarchies while also showing potential paths toward more equitable research practices. This sourcebook serves as a critical examination of the complex relationships between identity categories, institutional power, and claims of scientific objectivity.
👀 Reviews
This book appears to have limited reader reviews available online. The few existing reviews mention:
Liked:
- Brings together key writings examining intersections of race, class and gender in scientific research
- Multiple perspective approach helps students understand complex social factors
- Contains primary source documents showing real examples
Disliked:
- Some readers found the academic language dense and theoretical
- Selection of readings can feel disjointed without more context
- Price point considered high for a supplemental textbook
Available Ratings:
Goodreads: No ratings or reviews found
Amazon: No customer reviews
WorldCat: No reader reviews
Google Books: No user ratings
Note: This appears to be an academic sourcebook with limited public reviews. The available feedback comes primarily from course syllabi mentions and academic citations rather than general reader reviews. Additional review data may exist in academic journals or institutional databases not publicly accessible.
📚 Similar books
Feminist Science Studies: A New Generation by Maralee Mayberry, Banu Subramaniam, and Lisa H. Weasel
This collection examines intersections of gender, race, and science through research papers and case studies from feminist scholars across disciplines.
Making Science: A Social History of Feminist Science by Sandra Harding The text traces how feminist perspectives have shaped scientific inquiry and challenged traditional methodologies across multiple fields.
Science and Social Inequality: Feminist and Postcolonial Issues by Sandra Harding This work analyzes how social power structures influence scientific research and knowledge production through a feminist and postcolonial lens.
Inclusion: The Politics of Difference in Medical Research by Steven Epstein The book explores how social movements pushed for greater representation of women and minorities in medical studies and clinical trials.
The Gender and Science Reader by Muriel Lederman and Ingrid Bartsch This anthology presents key writings on gender bias in scientific practice, feminist critiques of science, and the historical exclusion of women from scientific institutions.
Making Science: A Social History of Feminist Science by Sandra Harding The text traces how feminist perspectives have shaped scientific inquiry and challenged traditional methodologies across multiple fields.
Science and Social Inequality: Feminist and Postcolonial Issues by Sandra Harding This work analyzes how social power structures influence scientific research and knowledge production through a feminist and postcolonial lens.
Inclusion: The Politics of Difference in Medical Research by Steven Epstein The book explores how social movements pushed for greater representation of women and minorities in medical studies and clinical trials.
The Gender and Science Reader by Muriel Lederman and Ingrid Bartsch This anthology presents key writings on gender bias in scientific practice, feminist critiques of science, and the historical exclusion of women from scientific institutions.
🤔 Interesting facts
🔬 During her extensive research career, author Rayna Rapp conducted groundbreaking ethnographic studies on how different cultural groups approach prenatal testing and genetic counseling.
📚 The book emerged from teaching materials developed at The New School for Social Research, where students helped shape the anthology through classroom discussions and feedback.
🧬 The text was one of the first major works to explicitly examine how social categories like race, gender, and class influence both the practice of science and who gets to participate in scientific endeavors.
👥 Rapp's work helped establish the field of feminist science studies, demonstrating how scientific "objectivity" often reflects societal power structures and cultural assumptions.
📈 The sourcebook format allows readers to trace how scientific understanding of race, gender, and class has evolved from the 19th century through modern times, featuring primary documents from each era.