Columbia University Press has recently published The Remnants of Race Science a book written by IHPST alumni Sebastián Gil-Riaño (PhD 2014). This book, based on the dissertation he wrote under the supervision of Professor Michelle Murphy, explores how scientists from the Global South shaped the campaign against race prejudice UNESCO launched after World War II.
This book explores the connections between UNESCO’s campaign and ideas regarding modernization and economic development using extensive archival research. According to a recent review published in Science: “Drawing on primary sources recorded in Spanish, Portuguese, and French, Gil-Riaño introduces the reader to many scientific figures and projects that are relatively unknown in Anglophone spheres”, among these figures are the Latin American scientists who pioneered anti-racism in science.
Sebastián Gil-Riaño is a historian of transnational science. He is an assistant professor in the History and Sociology of Science Department and the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.