Genetic Racialization: Ancestry Tests and the Reification of Race.

The article examines the implications of DNA-based ancestry testing on social understandings of race and ethnicity, focusing on how consumers interpret their ancestry results in public forums, particularly on social media platforms like YouTube. It introduces the concept of "genetic racialization," where individuals emphasize the scientific validity of DNA testing to assert biological explanations for their racial identities while often omitting historical contexts such as colonialism and slavery. The analysis of over 400 YouTube videos reveals that consumers frequently conflate ancestry with race, using the language of "blood" to describe their results and reinforcing biological notions of race. The study highlights the need for critical engagement with the historical and social dimensions of race in discussions surrounding ancestry testing. [Extracted from the article]