Prophets and Profits of Racial Science

Abstract

Two hundred years in the future, overpopulation on Earth has compelled humanity to spread across the solar system, colonizing Mars and the Asteroid Belt, where several generations of humans have been born and raised as" Martians" and" Belters," respectively. This state of affairs is the premise of a book series adapted for television, called The Expanse. Unlike many speculative tales, the series presents a remarkably diverse cast that challenges contemporary racial and gender hierarchies while also signaling how racial vision and division may be reconfigured in the future. By focusing on the value of racial-ethnic classifications in pharmacogenomics and precision medicine, here Benjamin attends to the relationship between prophets of racial science (those who produce forecasts about inherent group differences) and profits of racial science (the benefits produced by such forecasts).