Event Description
The Direct to Consumer (DTC) genetic testing industry has been steadily growing since its inception at the end of the 20th century. One DTC product, genetic ancestry testing, has continuously garnered attention from both scholars and the lay public because it is often marketed as indicative of racial or ethnic identities. This promise of “genetic race” has ignited conversations about the relationship between race, genetics, and social identities. Drawing on my research with Puerto Rican Afrodescendants and an African American genetic ancestry focus group, I will discuss various ideas surrounding the utility of genetic ancestry testing for thinking about self and community identities. Ultimately, the complexities of genetic ancestry interpretation reflect the complexities of lived experiences of race and anti-racism in the African Diaspora and beyond.
Event Speaker
Jada Benn Torres, Associate Professor of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University
Event Information
Free and open to the public; registration required.
Hosted by the Precision Medicine: Ethics, Politics, and Culture Project at Columbia University.
