Archaeogenetics in Popular Media: Contemporary Implications of Ancient DNA

Authors

  • Anna Källén Department of Culture and Aesthetics Stockholm University
  • Charlotte Mulcare University of Liverpool
  • Andreas Nyblom Department of Culture and Aesthetics, Stockholm University
  • Daniel Strand Center for Multidisciplinary Studies on Racism, Uppsala University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37718/CSA.2019.04

Keywords:

Genetics, aDNA, communication of science, mediatization, Viking, female warrior, migration, Birka, Sigtuna

Abstract

If most academic debates surrounding the recent boom of ancient DNA (aDNA) so far have concerned conflicting research epistemologies, this article is a call for taking aspects of media and communication more seriously. Analyzing the fates of two recent research papers on Viking Age Scandinavia, we show how aDNA research is communicated, narrated and infused with meaning in the public sphere, particularly in relation to popular narratives and political debates. We observe significant interlacing of scientific, political and media discourses in and around the papers, and conclude that archaeogenetics is a highly mediatized scientific field.

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Published

2019-12-28

How to Cite

Källén, A. . (2019) “Archaeogenetics in Popular Media: Contemporary Implications of Ancient DNA”, Current Swedish Archaeology, 27(1), pp. 69–91. doi: 10.37718/CSA.2019.04.

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Section

Research Articles