Seminar: Oliver Rollins on the Brain, Violence, and the Haunting “Absence-Presence” of Race

The Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT is excited to welcome Dr. Oliver Rollins for a seminar on his work on neuroscience and race.

Historically, race—particularly its erroneous interpretation as a biological reality—has played a crucial role in creating biological (mis)understandings of crime. Yet today’s neuroimaging research on violence operates with a conspicuous absence of race. It can be argued, therefore, that neuro-criminological knowledge challenges longstanding critiques of biocriminology. In this seminar, Dr. Rollins will discuss how racism continues to influence brain-based understandings of crime. He will argue that the application of neuroscientific knowledge—in legal contexts—functions as a prescriptive yet unexamined aspect of systemic scientific racism. Consequently, neuroscientific interpretations of crime may inadvertently reinforce racist policing and criminal justice tactics without requiring any explicit racist or racial intent.

Please contact Learning and Events Coordinator Claire Sadar if you are interested in attending.