ABSTRACT
Evidently, genetics is only one piece in the puzzle of personal and collective identity, and we should not confuse the two or ‘essensialise’ genetic identities. That would no doubt constitute a simplistic understanding of people’s personal or collective identities. As preliminary evidence suggests, individuals tend to employ genetically deterministic ideas to a much lesser extent than could be expected when it comes to their own bodies and lives (Prainsack and HashiloniDolev, 2008; Prainsack and Spector, 2006; Egorova and Parfitt, 2006; Gibbons and Novas, 2007). However, DNA is – and can effectively be turned into – a constitutive element of individual, group and collective identities. Indeed, this was the initial impetus for stressing the importance of ‘biosociality’ (Rabinow, 1992, 1999).
