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Film Explores the History of Pseudoscience and Racism
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – August 2, 2009 - The Science of Race, a new release from independent filmmaker D. Eric Harmon, chronicles and analyzes the history of pseudoscience and its promotion of racist ideas that were aimed at African Americans during and after slavery. “This documentary takes a hard look at the origins of notions such as race and racism and how many European scientists willingly championed so-called 'scientific data' to justify not only the system of slavery, but the denial of Africans in America the right to membership in the human race,” says Harmon, the film's director and producer, who also teaches courses on African American culture and literature at Century Community and Technical College in White Bear Lake, MN.
The film features authors and scholars such as Michael Parenti, author of Democracy for the Few (2007) and Dirty Truths (1996) and author and political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson, author of The Mugging of Black America (1991) and The Assassination of the Black Male Image (1994).
The documentary explores key topics such as the origin of the concept of race, the invention of the term “Caucasian” and the positioning of Europeans on top of a racial hierarchy, the use of “pseudoscientific” diseases and theories to justify African slavery, the contribution of famous scientists such as Jefferson and Darwin to ideas of “science” supported racism, and the use of racially charged pseudoscience in the media, medicine, law enforcement, and politics.
Harmon says, “The film gives solid context to ideas about science and race so that when we see, for instance, racist attacks against a black president, we can understand the underpinnings of such aggression and hatred. It also helps us to question the entire notion of race itself, which is still very real and apparently meaningful for most Americans, even though modern science says racial categories are not real.”
Activist and lecturer Victor Lee Lewis, most famous for his appearance in the ground breaking documentary The Color of Fear (1994) by filmmaker Lee Mun Wah, says Harmon's “documentary on the scientific fallacies and ideological agendas of the 'science of race' is just brilliant. Every activist and every thinking person needs to have this information.”
The DVD version of the film sells for $19.99 and can be purchased clicking this link . For educational institutions and libraries, the film sells for $129.95. Those interested in screening opportunities, interviews, on-air broadcast, or personal appearances by the film-maker can call 612-578-7086.
Below is an excerpt from the film:
Excerpt from "The Science of Race" from D. Eric Harmon on Vimeo.
