S3 Ep21: Angela Saini: Who Benefits From Convincing Us Oppression is Natural?

Supremacy culture wants to convince us all that it is inevitable. If oppression is natural, it’s hardly worth fighting, after all. Racism, sexism, and other systems of oppression have always weaponized science—and too many scientists have allowed themselves to be mouthpieces for oppressive ideologies.

Angela Saini has written about the use and abuse of science to uphold oppression for years. Her books investigate the origins of misogyny, analyze how science is weaponized in service of oppression, and debunk common sexist and racist myths about human biology.

In this episode, we talk about a range of topics, including:

The origins of patriarchy, and why patriarchy is social and not biological.

The relative recency of patriarchy, and why patriarchy has not always been a part of human history.

How biology is misused to uphold systems of oppression.

How marriage became an arm of the state, and how marriage and family enabled women’s oppression.

Patriarchy as an accident, not an inevitability, and the role patrilocality played in its creation.

How myths about gender and biology, gender roles, and gender as natural or inevitable uphold patriarchy.

How scientific racism continues to influence medicine and politics. You can find the study I reference in the podcast here.

How racialized medicine can worsen outcomes in marginalized communities.

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