Is there Neo-Nazi DNA? Ancestry Tests and Biological Essentialism in American Racism
Fabricating Authenticity - Jason W.M. Ellsworth
Martha Smith [+]
Fullerton College
Martha Smith is Assistant Professor of Religion at Fullerton College. Martha's teaching covers all aspects of religion in culture and the diversity of religious traditions around the world. Her research and writing focus on North American religious diversity and pluralism, race and ethnicity, new religious movements, and religious studies pedagogy. She has written articles on hula hooping, communities of practice, antiracist pedagogy, and religious diversity and pluralism in the United States.
Description
In this chapter, Smith considers how the notion of authenticity is employed in discussions and understandings of genetic ancestry testing. Drawing on various responses to ancestry testing—from overtly racist internet forums to commercials and programs aiming to frame cultural diversity in a positive way—Smith argues that these competing narratives and constructs of identity ultimately authorize their claims through a reification of biological essentialism.