[Publication is in Norwegian] English abstract: «MY HAPLOGROUP»: BIOLOGY, KINSHIP AND CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF GENETIC GENEALOGY The focus of this article is genetic genealogy, i.e., genetic testing that helps hobby...
more[Publication is in Norwegian] English abstract: «MY HAPLOGROUP»:
BIOLOGY, KINSHIP AND CULTURAL IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF GENETIC GENEALOGY The focus of this article is genetic genealogy, i.e., genetic testing that helps hobby genealogists to trace their «origin» in historical and pre-historical time. I discuss how the three most common methods provided – testing on the Y chromosome, mitochondrial DNA and autosomal DNA – may impact on the formation of kinship, descent and cultural identity. The article engages classical anthropological debates on the role of biology versus meaning in the constitution of kinship. I deviate from deterministic cultural perspectives that deny any form of biological «fundament», arguing for a more nuanced and realistic anthropology that rather examines the relative importance of biology in the sociocultural formation of kinship.