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Does Genetic Ancestry Testing Promote an Essentialized View of Race? Findings from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Sun, August 13, 8:30 to 10:10am, Palais des congrès de Montréal, Floor: Level 5, 516E

Abstract

Since the decoding of the Human Genome, more than 40 companies have emerged to sell genetic ancestry tests directly to the public. Individuals receive a test kit in the mail, send back a DNA sample, and can receive a chart analyzing what proportion of their lineage is European, African, Native American and Asian, or link direct family lines to particular populations or sub-continental geographical regions. About three million tests have been sold, using ancestry categories that closely mirror contemporary racial groups. Although social scientists have long asserted that race is socially constructed, many fear that genetic ancestry testing will reinforce an essentialized view of race as purely biological. Alternatively, some have speculated that the tests may have the opposite effect, by revealing the lack of genetic determination to the social identifications people have long held, and by showing the relatedness of all contemporary groups. This paper presents preliminary findings from an experimental study with a random sample of 1,067 White Americans, half of whom received admixture and maternal-line ancestry tests. The data show that taking these tests does not change these individuals’ views of race as genetically determined or socially constructed. While the tests may still reinscribe the dominant logic of race by presenting the results as ethnoracial, and may have greater influence on consumers who purchase the tests themselves, receiving genetic ancestry results has no significant impact on the average White American’s view of the nature of race.

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