ABSTRACT
Although the term “epigenetics” has been around in its current form since geneticist Conrad Hal Waddington introduced it in 1940, interest in this scientific field has spiked dramatically in the past several decades. Scholarly books on the topic proliferate. The field appeals to so many because it seems to have a wide range of potential applications. To researchers interested in social, racial, and gender justice, the epigenetic dimension seems to hold exciting promise to free us from the idea that we are what our genes make us and enable us instead to identify those factors beyond genetics that shape us to become who we are [ … ] Did our grandmothers face starvation during pregnancy, leaving us a legacy of weight problems or undernourishment? Did a toxic physical or social environment limit our lung capacity or stress us so that we became vulnerable to depression? Epigenetics seems to reach from the body to society, holding out hope to illuminate issues as diverse as the development of gender identity; the intergenerational impact of slavery, war, or starvation; the range of factors that make us more vulnerable to depression or psychosis [ … ] (Susan Merrill Squier 1–2)
