Dist. Prof. Emma Kowal, 'Who do we think we are? Identity in the coming age of genomic transparency'
Who do we think we are? Identity in the coming age of genomic transparency
Large public investments have made Australia a world leader in genomics. However, the social implications of easy access to genome data are poorly understood. Australians will soon be routinely exposed to genomic information and its resulting biological, social and personal implications. In other words, we will live in a state of genomic transparency. This project consider users of direct-to-consumer ancestry testing to be ‘early adopters’ of genomic transparency. I consider what is known about the experiences of three different groups of users who receive ancestry test results that challenge their established conceptions of ethnicity, relatedness and identity.
Distinguished Professor Emma Kowal is Professor of Anthropology and Co-Convenor of the Science and Society Network at Deakin University. She is a cultural and medical anthropologist who previously worked as a medical doctor and public health researcher in Indigenous health. Her research interests lie at the intersection of anthropology, science and technology studies (STS), and Indigenous studies. She is an award-winning researcher and educator and a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. She has authored 150 publications including the monograph Trapped in the Gap: Doing Good in Indigenous Australia and the collection Cryopolitics: Frozen Life in a Melting World. Her latest book is Haunting Biology: Science and Indigeneity in Australia (Duke UP 2023).
Venue: Caulfield campus (TBC)/ Zoom
Event Details
- Date:
- 24 March 2025 at 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm
Description
Who do we think we are? Identity in the coming age of genomic transparency
Large public investments have made Australia a world leader in genomics. However, the social implications of easy access to genome data are poorly understood. Australians will soon be routinely exposed to genomic information and its resulting biological, social and personal implications. In other words, we will live in a state of genomic transparency. This project consider users of direct-to-consumer ancestry testing to be ‘early adopters’ of genomic transparency. I consider what is known about the experiences of three different groups of users who receive ancestry test results that challenge their established conceptions of ethnicity, relatedness and identity.
Distinguished Professor Emma Kowal is Professor of Anthropology and Co-Convenor of the Science and Society Network at Deakin University. She is a cultural and medical anthropologist who previously worked as a medical doctor and public health researcher in Indigenous health. Her research interests lie at the intersection of anthropology, science and technology studies (STS), and Indigenous studies. She is an award-winning researcher and educator and a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. She has authored 150 publications including the monograph Trapped in the Gap: Doing Good in Indigenous Australia and the collection Cryopolitics: Frozen Life in a Melting World. Her latest book is Haunting Biology: Science and Indigeneity in Australia (Duke UP 2023).
Venue: Caulfield campus (TBC)/ Zoom