Galileo’s Middle Finger: Struggles of Science and Identity Politics in the Internet Age

Dear friends of Lawrence Badash and members of the community,
The UCSB Center for Science and Society is pleased to announce the second annual Lawrence Badash Lecture. The Badash Lecture honors a scholar of science and society whose work has advanced not only the history of science, but also the larger aims of social justice, civil liberties, peace and disarmament, public health, or environmental protection.

The first annual Badash Lecture, held in 2010, honored Gregg Mitman,
Director of the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the
University of Wisconsin. This year’s address will be given by Alice
Domurat Dreger, Professor of Clinical Medical Humanities and Bioethics
in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Please
join us for this exciting event.

Abstract:
This talk explores the nature of contemporary scientific controversies
regarding human identity. We will consider several case studies
(including one involving UCSB emeritus professor Napoloen Chagnon) to
parse out the similarities and differences among these cases, and to
consider what scientists and identity activists can do to more
effectively engage in productive, fair dialogue. The speaker
approaches this topic as an historian of science and medicine who has
been studying this issue as part of a Guggenheim book project, but
also as someone who has been an advocate in the intersex rights
movement and as someone who has been subject to scathing criticisms by
some transgender rights advocates for her historical scholarship.

About the Speaker:
Alice Dreger is Professor of Clinical Medical Humanities and Bioethics
in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, and a
Guggenheim Fellow. Her books include *Hermaphrodites and the Medical
Invention of Sex* and *One of Us: Conjoined Twins and the Future of
Normal* (both from Harvard University Press). She served as Chair of
the Board of the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA) for seven
years. Dr. Dreger’s essays on science, medicine, and life have
appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the
Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribune. In 2009, W. W. Norton
selected her essay, “Lavish Dwarf Entertainment,” for inclusion in its
annual Best Creative Non-Fiction volume. She has appeared on numerous
broadcasts as an expert on sex, including on HBO, CNN, the Oprah
Winfrey Show, and Savage Love. Dr. Dreger is a regular blogger for
Psychology Today and a contributor to the Hastings Center’s Bioethics
Forum. More information is available at her personal website,
alicedreger.com.

About Larry Badash:
Professor Emeritus Larry Badash passed away in 2010 after a 36-year
teaching and research career at UCSB. A specialist in the history of
physics and nuclear weapons, Larry was the author of seven books and
dozens of articles. He was also a popular mentor, avid outdoorsman,
and community activist who worked for civil liberties and
environmental protection. For more about Larry’s life and
accomplishments, please see:
SB Independent obituary, Sept. 2010

This event is hosted by the UCSB Center for Science and Society, and
cosponsored by the UCSB departments of Anthropology and Feminist
Studies.

hm 1/25/11