While Hagelberg’s areas of research are in the fields of molecular evolution, ancient DNA and human evolutionary history, throughout her career she has worked on a wide range of subjects, including archaeology and science history, and a lot of her work has been interdisciplinary. She has written on the evolution of language, and she is also engaged in science communication. This is why she takes care to communicate her findings to the public.
As interdiciplinary studies become more important, it is an extra honour that one of our scientist is awarded a fellowship from The Faculty of Arts. We are hoping that such fellowships will strengthen interdisciplinary and international cooperation.
The 15th of December this year, Erika Hagelberg will hold the Brodetsky Memorial Lecture at the University of Leeds, with the following title: The Construction of Genetic Identities: The Case of the Jewish Genome.
Abstract:
New developments in DNA technology are having a huge impact on medical genetics, forensic identification, and exciting areas of research, including ancient DNA studies, as we have seen in the recent identification of the skeleton of Richard III, and the advances in Neanderthal genetics. But the technology is also aiding a growing industry in genetic genealogies, where human identity is defined in terms of DNA variants, rather than customs, language, family and home. It is no surprise that some genetics projects, like that of the Jewish genome, have become deeply controversial. It is proving hard to strike a balance between recognising the usefulness and excitement of the new genetics research, and resisting a return to crude categories of human racial differences.
She adds that she has not worked on the so-called Jewish genome, she is interested in the controversies surrounding the topic. More specifically it is the marketing of specific genetical identities based on DNA analysis. Creating such genetical identities are closely linked to both politics and marketing of DNA tests. This is why she has chosen such a brave title for her lecture. Hopefully this will create a debate around DNA tests and how they are marketed.