Ethnicity Versus Ethnicity Estimates
Race, ethnicity, culture, and how it applies to your DNA results.
When taking DNA tests that provide ethnicity results this can sometimes challenge what we’ve been told about our family history and it can impact how we view our own personal identity.
However, much of this confusion can be cleared up by understanding the difference between race, ethnicity, ethnicity estimates, culture and the way this impacts individual situations.
Race
Race is defined, at least by the University of St. Louis, as categorizing people into groups based on their physical appearance and attributing social meaning to these racial categories. It’s important to understand that race as a social construct has been used to control communities and reinforce harmful stereotypes.
Example:
As the daughter of two people of Quebecious descent, Olivia’s race would likely be considered caucasian or white.
Ethnicity Versus Ethnicity Estimates
Ethnicity
Ethnicity describes a community of people with a shared history, language culture, religion, and region.
Ethnicity Estimates
In contrast, your ethnicity estimates are more like the sum of your inherited genetic makeup. Ethnicity estimates received from most DNA tests are determined by identifying genetic variations called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are common in a particular ethnic heritage. This allows the test provider to connect testers to regions their genetics are associated with.
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Example:
Antonio, the child of two Italian immigrants, was born in the United States and is an American citizen.
However, if his parents were exclusively of Italian descent, which is highly unlikely, they would have only passed on genetic markers associated with regions in Italy.
This would ultimately make Antonio an American citizen, with an Italian ethnic heritage and Italian genetics.
Culture
Culture is often defined as the customs, beliefs, social norms, religion, etc. shared by a group of people. Meaning that your culture is defined by the community you were raised in.
Example:
Let’s say Sophia’s great-grandmother was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States just before the First World War. This would make her great-grandmother one of six million Germans who migrated to America between 1820 and 1914. Her great-grandmother would have likely found a home among the growing German population in the United States at the time.
Sophia was born in the United States and attended school within one of the school systems in her country. This makes Sophia an American both in nationality and culture.
Now, to incorporate what we’ve learned before about ethnicity. Sophia is three generations removed from her closest German ancestor or ancestors. This means that Sophia has roughly 12% of her great-grandmother’s DNA. Two marriages, her grandparents and her parents, have taken place since her German ancestors. These marriages allow for genetics from other ethnicities to be introduced to Sophia’s genetic makeup.
However, if her great-grandmother was only of German ethnicity, again this is very unlikely, she would have inherited genetic variations associated with German heritage in the 12% that she received from her great-grandmother.
Sophia would be a United States citizen and culturally American but with some German ethnic markers in her DNA.
Ethnic Identity
Often we base our own identities on the cherished stories passed down to us from loved ones. An individual may believe they are Scandinavian simply because they have been told so by their grandparent. When faced with DNA results that conflict with this it can be very distressing.
The reality is that these ethnicity estimates are only that, estimates, and many factors can impact the results you receive and even the genetics you inherit. From the genetic panel used by the company to the size of the company’s test database, to how genetics are inherited can all cause different results for the same individual. It’s also important to remember that migration has been happening for centuries and that many borders have changed within the last 100 years.
Interpreting DNA results, or DNA analysis, is a specialty within the genealogical professions and is not as straightforward as many people believe. Individual testers can greatly benefit from speaking with a professional genetic genealogist regarding their test results.
Ultimately, these results do not erase the perceived ethnic identity we have always known, but they are a tool to help inform our understanding of it by shedding light on our family history and how that ethnic identity is reflected within our DNA.
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Sources:
- https://berardiimmigrationlaw.com/main-differences-between-national-and-citizen/
- https://students.wustl.edu/race-ethnicity-self-study-guide/#:~:text=Race%20refers%20to%20the%20concept,%2C%20heritage%2C%20religion%20and%20customs.
- https://www.ancestry.ca/dna/?o_xid=121534&o_lid=121534&o_sch=Paid+Search+Brand&ancid=ojw876glsw&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlJKuBhAdEiwAnZb7lfiJ86C-AYwpgtH1oLaLgyoX71xNqIqcilYD3fa6qsKqtkJOJ_p5QhoCPYoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/culturehttps://people.tamu.edu/~i-choudhury/culture.html
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture
- https://people.tamu.edu/~i-choudhury/culture.html
- https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/List-of-AncestryDNA-Regions?language=en_US
- https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/dtcgenetictesting/ancestrytesting/#:~:text=Single%20nucleotide%20polymorphism%20testing,of%20a%20person's%20ethnic%20background.
- https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Single-Nucleotide-Polymorphisms#:~:text=%E2%80%8BSingle%20Nucleotide%20Polymorphisms%20(SNPs)&text=A%20single%20nucleotide%20polymorphism%20(abbreviated,drug%20response%20and%20other%20traits.