Ancestry re-imagined : dismantling the myth of genetic ethnicities

Recent social and political psychological research indicates that increased access to ancestry testing has strengthened the notion of genetic essentialism among some groups, or the idea that our biology ties us to particular ethnic identities. This can boost a sense of cultural pride and prosocial behaviors among communities that are perceived to be similar. In the worst-case scenarios, however, this phenomenon can contribute to deeper social woes like misinformation, anti-science agendas, and even social hatred among those who believe in racial superiority. Using research from both the social sciences and the genetics literature as support, Ancestry Reimagined establishes realistic expectations about what we can learn from our DNA as a foundation for examining the psychological impact of ancestry testing, including the differences between how this information is perceived versus its reality. With this book, Dr. Kampourakis flexes his muscles as an esteemed interdisciplinary science educator and author to challenge these traditional social constructs, using the current genetic testing science as a myth busting tool. Kampourakis argues that DNA ancestry testing cannot reveal a person's true ethnic identity because ethnic groups are socially and culturally constructed. In 10 accessible chapters, he explains the assumptions underlying the scientific study of ancestry, and the resulting paradoxes that are often overlooked. What the study of human DNA mostly shows is that human DNA variation is continuous, and it is not possible to clearly delimit ethnic groups based on DNA data. As a result, we all are members of a huge, extended family, and not of genetically distinct ethnic groups. What ancestry tests can provide are probabilistic estimations of similarities between the test-takers and particular reference populations. This does not devalue the results of these tests, however, because they can indeed provide some valuable information to people who may not know much about their ancestors. In fact, what the tests are very good at doing is finding close relatives, and this is perhaps why the whole enterprise should be rebranded as family, not ancestry, testing. Ultimately, this book reveals that genetic essentialism, biological ethnic identities, racial superiority, and similar social constructs are scientifically unsupported. "I begin the first chapter of the present book with definitions, because the concepts related to ancestry are often confused in the public discourse. Sometimes this is done because people do not pay attention to what exactly these concepts are about, and so use them interchangeably. For instance, when the majority of a people in a nation are also considered to be members of the same ethnic group, nationality and ethnicity can be easily confused. Other times, different concepts are intentionally used to refer to the same category. For instance, "White" is a category that is described as race in the US Census and as ethnicity in the UK census. Therefore, I have decided to define these concepts right from the start, in order to clarify their differences and also show how their improper use may lead to misunderstandings"-- Provided by publisher Cover Page Half Title Title Page Copyright Dedication Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1. DNA Ancestry Testing: What It Is and What People Make of It 2. Essentializing Social Groups: Nations 3. From Race to Ethnicity in Ancestry Testing 4. Genealogical and Genetic Ancestry 5. Using DNA Ancestry Evidence to Retrace History 6. We Are All Africans, Ultimately 7. More Related Than Distinct 8. Social Constructs versus “Natural Order” 9. Separating DNA from Culture 10. Finding Meaning in Our Ancestry Testing Conclusion Index