title: Population genetics in Israel in the 1950s. The unconscious internalization of ideology.
abstract: This essay describes the effects of Zionist ideology on research into human population genetics carried out in Israel during the 1950s and early 1960s. I argue that the internalization of the dominant Zionist narrative is reflected in the articles that were written by Israeli geneticists and physicians during these years. My claim is based on a comparison of articles about human population genetics written and published by Israeli scientists between 1951 and 1963 with similar articles written by non-Israelis. The comparison reveals that during this period the Israeli human geneticists and physicians emphasized the sociological and historical aspects of their research and used their work, among other things, as a vehicle for establishing a national identity and confirming the Zionist narrative.
authors.affiliation: Cohn Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.
authors.forename: Nurit
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kirsh
mesh_terms: D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000266:history; D036281:Genetic Research / Q000266:history*; D005828:Genetics, Population / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D007585:Jews / Q000266:history*; D011057:Politics; D012933:Social Identification