After the fact

Academia must help nip damaging populist arguments in the bud

When the Alternative für Deutschland party, a right-wing nationalist outfit in Germany, issued a motion stating that the only form of racial discrimination that should receive scientific attention is that against white people, another flame was fanned around the topic of racism and science. 

Talking about racism—its impact, prevalence and the damage it causes—is almost as hard as studying it. But lately, academics in the field have faced criticism from some sections of the public, which has sometimes degenerated into outright opposition to their entire work.