The Sociopolitical Import of Recreational Genetics

2017.02.05 DNA is a master key that unlocks medical and forensic secrets, but its genealogical life is also revelatory. Tracing genealogy is now the second-most popular hobby amongst Americans. This billion-dollar industry has spawned popular television shows, websites, and a booming heritage tourism circuit. However, this talk reveals how genetic genealogy is also being propelled into a variety of sociopolitical uses, including kin-keeping, reparations politics, citizenship projects, and public commemoration. Speaker Alondra Nelson Dean of Social Science and Professor of Sociology, Columbia University