Conocimientos
e
Identidades
Argentinas
Photography © 2010-24, Loruhama T.R.
a research project in Luján
WELCOME
We are an interdisciplinary research team from the United States and Argentina that is interested in understanding the ways in which public perspectives of race, ethnicity, and national belonging may be affected by recent trends in genetic ancestry research in Argentina.
Given the current social and political context, we are curious to know what it means to be Argentine. In what ways do “race,” ethnicity, and national belonging have to do with the construction of “Argentineness”? Does genetic information inform or alter those constructions?
Interpretations of Genetic Ancestry
Through genetic ancestry tests, individuals can learn about the broad geographic regions in which their ancestors lived from 500 t0 1500 years ago, and beyond. Biogeographic ancestry associates a person’s origin with the geographic location(s) of presumed ancestors via a comparison with contemporary populations living in those locations. Genetic ancestry can be estimated on individuals or groups using genetic data and a set of interpretive tools.
Genetic ancestry tests are not used for health diagnoses, paternity analyses, or for individual identification.
Identities
Identity is co-constructed by societies and individuals, and changes throughout an individual's lifetime. Identities can change depending on context, age, and sex.
In this study we investigate whether, and the ways in which, interpretations of genetic ancestry are used (or not) as tools in the construction of individual and group (including national) identities.