Racial-Genomic Interest Convergence and the Geneticization of Black Families

ABSTRACT

This study expands our understanding of how commercialized genomics shape communication about Black individuals and Black families. Using critical race theory (CRT), I explicate how genetic ancestry tests (GATs) are rooted in whiteness and seek to overdetermine Blackness. Focus group interviews, individual interviews, and media analysis reveal the converging interests of the GAT industry and Black GAT customers. I argue that our contemporary landscape is marked by racial-genomic interest convergence, which characterizes the codependency of Black customers and the GAT industry in ways that (re)construct Black families. I conclude by discussing implications for the industry and Black families.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank her doctoral advisor and committee for their feedback on the dissertation from which this article comes. Additional gratitude is extended to the anonymous reviewers, the journal editor, and the following organizations that supported the dissertation project: The University of Utah’s Tanner Humanities Center, the Utah Center of Excellence in ELSI Research, and the University of Utah’s African American Doctoral Scholars Initiative.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The genome refers to the complete set of genetic material for an organism (e.g., a human). Genomics refers to the study of the genome, which contrasts with genetics – the study of a single gene.

2. Although I read Lezlie as a mixed-race Black woman, others might read her differently. Like Kelsie (2020), I interpret the identity of the actor as mixed race because the ad itself “renders … [them] … intelligible as mixed-race … regardless of personal identification” (p. 119). In this case, the pie chart of Lezlie’s identity and the questions about her identity construct her as mixed race.