Brown Skins, White Coats: Race Science in India, 1920-66

Projit Bihari Mukharji's book explores how India repurposed race science to its own ends, illustrating how these appropriations need to be understood within the national and regional contexts of postcolonial nation-making. It comprises seven factual chapters and eight fictive interchapters, revealing the moral, affective, political, and intellectual fissures of the historical moment.

Format: Hardback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 17 February 2023
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

A captivating narrative weaves together the rich tapestry of race science's evolution in mid-twentieth-century India, bringing it to life in vivid detail. While the field of race science has experienced a significant surge in scholarly interest in recent decades, most studies have primarily focused on Europe, North America, and Australia. In this groundbreaking work, Projit Bihari Mukharji delves into the unique ways in which India embraced and reimagined race science to suit its own purposes, challenging the notion that these appropriations should be merely considered footnotes in the broader Western narrative of "normal science."

The book is structured into seven factual chapters, each operating at distinct conceptual, practical, and cosmological levels. These chapters provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the historical developments and complexities of race science in India. In addition, eight fictive interchapters serve as a series of epistolary exchanges between the Bengali author Hemendrakumar Ray (1888–1963) and the protagonist of his dystopian science fiction novel, which explores themes of race, race science, racial improvement, and dehumanization. These interchapters not only enrich the historical context but also offer insightful perspectives on the moral, emotional, political, and intellectual dimensions of the period.

By seamlessly integrating factual and fictional elements, Mukharji paints a vivid picture of the historical moment in which the narrative unfolds. He meticulously reveals the moral, affective, political, and intellectual fissures that characterized this era, providing a nuanced and comprehensive analysis of race science's impact on Indian society. Through his meticulous research and thoughtful storytelling, Mukharji offers a fresh perspective on the complex and often controversial history of race science, challenging readers to consider its implications in contemporary times.

This captivating book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history, sociology, and politics of race and science. It sheds light on the ways in which nations have appropriated and reinterpreted scientific knowledge to serve their own interests, and it prompts us to reflect on the ethical and societal implications of such practices. By exploring the historical and cultural contexts in which race science emerged and flourished in India, Mukharji provides valuable insights into the complex interplay between science, power, and society, and he offers a roadmap for navigating the challenges and opportunities that arise in the ongoing conversation about race and science.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226822990