Navigating narratives of genetic categorization at the frayed edges of identity

Blom, Karen Ann

doi:10.1080/14636778.2022.2137121

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Family history research has been widely reported as an important vehicle for identity exploration: making sense of the self in the present, self-examination, and self-understanding (Barnwell 2019;Blom 2022;Basu 2005;Bishop 2008;Nash 2002;Saar 2002;Yakel 2004). Cannell (2011) describes this as an "ethnography of the self", where researching one's ancestral family history reveals an individual enmeshed in family relationships and associations (Cannell 2011).…”

Section: Identity In Family History Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…DNA testing is able to produce profiles that quantify the complex biological make-up of contemporary humans and individualise scientific evidence of history and biological antecedents and determinants. It also challenges concepts of genetic groups, race, ethnicity, and nationality (Blom 2022).…”

Section: Identity In Family History Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While technological tools such as online archives and databases have democratised access to the micro-historical landscape over the preceding decades, it is the augmentation of traditional historical research methodologies fused with the scientific process of DNA testing that has revolutionised the family history industry. Sitting under the field of molecular biology and genetics, DNA testing has broadened beyond medical diagnostics, forensic analysis, and pharmacogenomics to complement traditional genealogical research such as breaking through "brick walls", confirming or disproving relationships, discovering new relatives, and expanding the understanding of ancestral origins (Blom 2022). With genealogical juggernauts such as Ancestry.com offering ethnic origin connections to over 2600 geographic regions worldwide (Ancestry 2024) or MyHeritage and their DNA database comprised of over 8 million people (MyHeritage 2024), DNA testing offers new insights that can enrich and enhance family histories and illuminate the complex interplay between various identity dimensions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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DNA Testing and Identities in Family History Research

Shaw,

Donnelly,

Boadu

et al. 2024

Genealogy

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In the preceding decades, rapid technological advancements and increasing democratisation of historical records have been coupled with scientific data from DNA testing, which has revolutionised the family history industry. Going beyond the traditional archives and databases, DNA profiles present nuanced confirmations, puzzles, and contradictions generated through this biological lens. Family history researchers seek iterative engagements with their familial pasts and, in the process, amplify their contemporary identities. This specialised group of historians illuminates their families’ travels through the broader historical landscape, constructing micro-narratives using a broad range of investigative modalities. This article reports on the findings of a large international study (n = 1016) that investigated family history researchers’ motivations for undertaking DNA testing, their experiences, and its impact on their perceptions of individual, national, and global identities using Berzonsky’s socio-cultural model of identity construction (2003, 2011) as an analytic frame. Using a survey methodology, it was concluded that DNA testing can expand and disrupt long-held notions of identity and has the power to shift perceptions and understandings of the self while simultaneously providing a new era of opportunity to reconceptualise national and international affiliations. It suggests further investigative avenues to assess the potential of DNA testing, which may promote social cohesion, inclusiveness, and global citizenship.

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Section: Identity In Family History Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Identity In Family History Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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DNA Testing and Identities in Family History Research

Shaw,

Donnelly,

Boadu

et al. 2024

Genealogy

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Decolonising an Irish Surname by Working the Hyphen of Gene-Ealogy

Fitzpatrick,

Fitzpatrick

2023

Genealogy

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The surname Fitzpatrick is readily identified as Irish. Until recently, the traditional Fitzpatrick surname narrative was of a medieval super-progenitor named Giolla Phádraig. His offspring, the eponymous Mac Giolla Phádraig, it was said, somehow came to dwell in every Irish province; yet this is an Irish surname myth that works to erase the history of ancient ‘Fitzpatrick’ clans. This article demonstrates how deconstructing the surname Fitzpatrick, through working the hyphen of gene-eaology, is a practice of decolonisation. Via genetic data and archival records, dominant clan identities are disrupted, while connections with lost clans are re/membered. Critical analysis dismantles the dominant narrative imposed by colonial strategies and reconnects people with kinship groups and forgotten forebears. Questions arise from the deconstruction of an Irish surname. How might new clan identities be imagined, and how is losing a dominant surname narrative negotiated?

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Navigating narratives of genetic categorization at the frayed edges of identity

Cited by 2 publications

References 56 publications

DNA Testing and Identities in Family History Research

DNA Testing and Identities in Family History Research

Decolonising an Irish Surname by Working the Hyphen of Gene-Ealogy

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