Genetic testing companies and neo-eugenics: Anthropologists must speak out

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, scholars such as Charles Davenport and Karl Pearson popularized the idea of eugenics: that through careful management of our collective genetic resources, we could improve not only ourselves, but the whole of society. Classical eugenics Eugenics “promised not only an experimental understanding of mind and behavior, but…

Race, racism, and the genetic testing industry’s publicity campaigns

This week, my UofA colleague Lesley Harrington comments on the joint 23andme and Fox “root for your roots campaign”. On the surface, the idea sounds like good fun. Take a DNA test and find out which World Cup team you should be rooting for. In fact, as Lesley points out, the idea is deeply problematic.…