DNA ancestry tests have emerged in the past two decades as a exponentially growing industry, and advertisements for these products in recent years have permeated households throughout the global West. This research explores the history of nation and race as human social categories and how these concepts relate to modern studies on the consumers of DNA ancestry tests and participants in the hobby of genealogy. Using both quantitative and qualitative content analysis on key pages from the websites of top DNA ancestry testing companies, this research identifies examples of advertising where historical oppression is ignored in favor of highlighting pseudoscientific ideas about identity and enforcing a female gender role as caretaker of both family genetics and cultural traditions. Findings on how DNA ancestry tests are already interpreted by consumers note that white nationalist groups already favor them for promoting claims about the genetic reality of racial categorizations and the existence of genetic purity. The implications of this research are useful in understanding what messages about identity consumers have absorbed from interaction with DNA ancestry companies already, and what future target audiences including children may learn through company advertising.
","abstract_html":"<p>DNA ancestry tests have emerged in the past two decades as a exponentially growing industry, and advertisements for these products in recent years have permeated households throughout the global West. This research explores the history of nation and race as human social categories and how these concepts relate to modern studies on the consumers of DNA ancestry tests and participants in the hobby of genealogy. Using both quantitative and qualitative content analysis on key pages from the websites of top DNA ancestry testing companies, this research identifies examples of advertising where historical oppression is ignored in favor of highlighting pseudoscientific ideas about identity and enforcing a female gender role as caretaker of both family genetics and cultural traditions. Findings on how DNA ancestry tests are already interpreted by consumers note that white nationalist groups already favor them for promoting claims about the genetic reality of racial categorizations and the existence of genetic purity. The implications of this research are useful in understanding what messages about identity consumers have absorbed from interaction with DNA ancestry companies already, and what future target audiences including children may learn through company advertising.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Keeter, Callan"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"International Studies","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Lynn Horton","Dr. John Emery","Dr. Tekle Woldemikael"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:16Z","subjects":["Other International and Area Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/international_studies_theses/8","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Lynn Horton","Dr. John Emery","Dr. Tekle Woldemikael"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Keeter, Callan"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["International Studies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Other International and Area Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/international_studies_theses/8"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["DNA ancestry tests have emerged in the past two decades as a exponentially growing industry, and advertisements for these products in recent years have permeated households throughout the global West. This research explores the history of nation and race as human social categories and how these concepts relate to modern studies on the consumers of DNA ancestry tests and participants in the hobby of genealogy. Using both quantitative and qualitative content analysis on key pages from the websites of top DNA ancestry testing companies, this research identifies examples of advertising where historical oppression is ignored in favor of highlighting pseudoscientific ideas about identity and enforcing a female gender role as caretaker of both family genetics and cultural traditions. Findings on how DNA ancestry tests are already interpreted by consumers note that white nationalist groups already favor them for promoting claims about the genetic reality of racial categorizations and the existence of genetic purity. The implications of this research are useful in understanding what messages about identity consumers have absorbed from interaction with DNA ancestry companies already, and what future target audiences including children may learn through company advertising.
"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Keeter, Callan \"The Family Business: DNA Ancestry Tests and White Identity.\" Master's thesis, Chapman University, 2021. https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000209"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Family Business: DNA Ancestry Tests and White Identity"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Lynn Horton","Dr. John Emery","Dr. Tekle Woldemikael"],"dc:creator":["Keeter, Callan"],"dc:description.abstract":["DNA ancestry tests have emerged in the past two decades as a exponentially growing industry, and advertisements for these products in recent years have permeated households throughout the global West. This research explores the history of nation and race as human social categories and how these concepts relate to modern studies on the consumers of DNA ancestry tests and participants in the hobby of genealogy. Using both quantitative and qualitative content analysis on key pages from the websites of top DNA ancestry testing companies, this research identifies examples of advertising where historical oppression is ignored in favor of highlighting pseudoscientific ideas about identity and enforcing a female gender role as caretaker of both family genetics and cultural traditions. Findings on how DNA ancestry tests are already interpreted by consumers note that white nationalist groups already favor them for promoting claims about the genetic reality of racial categorizations and the existence of genetic purity. The implications of this research are useful in understanding what messages about identity consumers have absorbed from interaction with DNA ancestry companies already, and what future target audiences including children may learn through company advertising.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/international_studies_theses/8"],"dc:source":["Keeter, Callan \"The Family Business: DNA Ancestry Tests and White Identity.\" Master's thesis, Chapman University, 2021. https://doi.org/10.36837/chapman.000209"],"dc:subject":["Other International and Area Studies"],"dc:title":["The Family Business: DNA Ancestry Tests and White Identity"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["International Studies"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T01:38:16Z"}