Social identities and the 'new genetics': Scientific and social consequences

Abstract

The use of social identities in genetic research is increasing, yet for the most part their use remains untheorized. The possible consequences of this practice extend beyond the essentialization of social identities, to the production and application of genetic information. This paper examines the four processes linking the construction of social identities with the allocation of 'collective genetic affinities', and deconstructs the assumptions underlying the putative contribution of social identities to genetic variation. Doubts are raised about the reproducibility, comparability and universality of social identities as markers of collective genetic affinities. It is argued that most classifications of social identity have limited external and internal validity, producing misleading information concerning the distribution of genetic variation and the relevance thereof to gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. This has a variety of consequences for public health: increasing demands for dedicated services to address the heightened genetic risk of particular social groups, while undermining the therapeutic utility of genetic technologies. These, in turn, have feedback effects on the social construction of group identities, whereby the use of social identities in the production and application of genetic research impacts on (and is impacted on by) processes that lead to the construction of social identity. These processes are likely to have powerful discriminatory effects that nonetheless give the appearance of being naturalized and neutralized through geneticization.