Join us for a conversation between Dr. Catherine Bliss and Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan.  Assistant Professor of Sociology at UCSF and Brown University’s Medical School, Dr. Catherine Bliss will talk about her book “Race Decoded”.  Associate Professor of Information Studies at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and Design|Media Arts at UCLA, Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan will discuss ‘Diverse Ontologies and Networked Dissent: Tales from the Globe’.

This event is free and open to the public.  A reception will follow.

RACE DECODED: Since the Human Genome Project, researchers have increasingly studied DNA in a global context. At the same time, the U.S. and U.K. have dominated the large-scale sequencing efforts that drive the world?s knowledge of human biodiversity. In this forum, Dr. Bliss will explore what it means to produce population science in an uneven playing field, looking closely at changing regimes of truth in the space of genomic globalization.

DIVERSE ONTOLOGIES AND NETWORKED DISSENT: TALES FROM THE GLOBE: Long before the Internet actually came into being it was imagined. While such proclamations celebrate the birth of a network to bring the world together, what they often sweep under the rug are the more fascinating and eye-opening realities of how this network is shaping people’s everyday lives worldwide, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse, and usually for the unpredictable. Not every person in the world uses Facebook or even a mobile phone the same way, and not every person has the ability to take advantage of these technologies in the same way for their own individual or community’s benefit. The question of ‘who wins’ with the spread of technology is subtle, fascinating, and inspires curiosity.

Brought to you by the UCLA Information Studies Colloquium Series, with support from the Institute for Society and Genetics.  More information here