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Genealogy, Volume 9, Issue 4 (December 2025) – 52 articles

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5 pages, 162 KB  
Editorial
Introduction: Seeing Ethnicity Otherwise
by Zarine L. Rocha, Chamion Caballero and Brenda S. A. Yeoh
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 153; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040153 - 17 Dec 2025
Viewed by 134
Abstract
We are very pleased to publish this commemorative Special Issue, dedicated to the life and work of Peter J [...] Full article
26 pages, 9552 KB  
Article
Resurrecting Pharaohs: Western Imaginations and Contemporary Racial-National Identity in Egyptian Tourism
by Zaina Shams
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 152; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040152 - 12 Dec 2025
Viewed by 403
Abstract
This paper explores racialization as a historical-sociological concept and an ongoing, contemporary material praxis, using a Global Critical Race and Racism (GCRR) framework. Racialization is an ideological and material practice of colonial conquest that requires constant reification and maintenance. This paper examines how [...] Read more.
This paper explores racialization as a historical-sociological concept and an ongoing, contemporary material praxis, using a Global Critical Race and Racism (GCRR) framework. Racialization is an ideological and material practice of colonial conquest that requires constant reification and maintenance. This paper examines how racialization and racial practices are positioned within Egyptian state tourism campaigns, through a media content and discourse analysis, as a function of contemporary national-racial identity formation. Histories of colonial archaeology, race science, and the European colonial domination and imagination of Egypt heavily contextualize this analysis. First, the paper outlines how the identity of ancient Egyptians was a racing project fundamental to white supremacy and global race and racism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in ways that are intricately tied to contemporary nationalism, national identity formation, and nation-building in modern Egypt. The focus of this paper is Egypt’s agency in its national identity formation practices, wherein it acknowledges, negotiates, and markets aspects of its racialization that are economically and geopolitically advantageous, specifically within the tourism industry and in relation to Pharaonic Egypt. In this way, Egypt’s racialization is not simply externally imposed; the Egyptian state is engaging with global structures of race and racism by maintaining racial mythologies for Western imaginaries. Egypt’s contemporary national identity formation includes an engagement with its past that negotiates its position within a global hierarchy of nations across the racial-modern world system. This study explores notions of autonomy, acquiescence, and resistance under racialization by examining how nation-states engage with, resist, or leverage racialization. Full article
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16 pages, 3135 KB  
Article
Szwarc, Schwarzenberg or Czerny? Heraldic Memory of the Polish Nobility from the Middle Ages to the Present: The Case of the Czerny Family
by Joanna Brzegowy
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040151 - 11 Dec 2025
Viewed by 225
Abstract
This article examines the evolution of heraldic memory and genealogical consciousness within the Czerny family from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Focusing on this single lineage makes it possible to trace, in a longue durée perspective, how heraldic narratives emerged, were [...] Read more.
This article examines the evolution of heraldic memory and genealogical consciousness within the Czerny family from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Focusing on this single lineage makes it possible to trace, in a longue durée perspective, how heraldic narratives emerged, were transformed, and became embedded in family identity. The study employs a mixed methodology combining historical and genealogical analysis of municipal and noble registers, heraldic artefacts, epitaphs, and family archives with critical interpretation of early modern panegyrics and oral traditions. This approach enables reconstruction of both material and symbolic aspects of heraldic memory and its adaptation to changing political and social contexts. The findings reveal three major patterns. First, in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Czerny (Szwarc/Czarny) family consolidated its noble status by linking the Nowina coat of arms to heroic myths, especially after the death of Mikołaj Czerny at Pskov. Second, in the 17th century, Michał Czerny introduced the “Szwarcenberg” element to the surname, signifying aspirations to aristocratic prestige rather than actual heraldic adoption. Third, these narratives persisted in epitaphs, literary texts, and oral tradition into the modern period. The case illustrates how heraldic memory operated as a dynamic instrument of symbolic self-legitimation among the Polish nobility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Genealogical Communities: Community History, Myths, Cultures)
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18 pages, 368 KB  
Article
Global Racialization, Class, and the Politics of Nation: Education as a Site of Racial Formation and Resistance in the United States, South Korea, and Iran
by Yaereem Lee, Haniyeh Kheirkhah, Hannah Stohry and Brittany Aronson
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 150; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040150 - 11 Dec 2025
Viewed by 265
Abstract
This study examines the applicability of Critical Race Theory (CRT) beyond its U.S. American origins by analyzing the intersections of state, nation, race, and education in two distinct sociopolitical contexts: South Korea, and Iran. This manuscript explores how education functions as a genealogical [...] Read more.
This study examines the applicability of Critical Race Theory (CRT) beyond its U.S. American origins by analyzing the intersections of state, nation, race, and education in two distinct sociopolitical contexts: South Korea, and Iran. This manuscript explores how education functions as a genealogical site of power mediating relations among the state, nation, race/ethnicity, and social class in the construction and contestation of national identity. In South Korea, historical and contemporary student movements, from anti-colonial struggles and democratization to the Sewol Ferry protests, illustrate how education has served both as a means for producing normative citizens and as a site for cultivating democratic participants through civic resistance. In Iran, educational institutions intersect with gender, ethnicity, and political authority; within a tightly centralized system, CRT and intersectionality illuminate both possibilities and constraints of critical engagement. By situating these two cases within global debates on racialization, class inequality, and nationalism, this paper contributes to a comparative understanding of education as a contested arena where nations are imagined, challenged, and reconfigured. It contributes to scholarship at the intersection of race, class, and nationalism by offering insights into how the state structures and civic actors co-construct the politics of national identity through education in the 21st century while also highlighting the role of racial experiences in these processes. Full article
30 pages, 1538 KB  
Article
The Great Collusion: Analysis of Conspiracy Theories in Official Speeches of Pro-Bolsonaro Brazilian Federal Representatives (2019–2024)
by Allan Novaes and Diogo Macedo de Novaes
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040149 - 9 Dec 2025
Viewed by 514
Abstract
This study analyzes the political speeches of Brazilian federal representatives from the Liberal Party (PL), the primary platform for Bolsonarism, to identify patterns and features of conspiracy theories. Two core concepts are used: conspiracy theories as a worldview that addresses unpredictability and complexity [...] Read more.
This study analyzes the political speeches of Brazilian federal representatives from the Liberal Party (PL), the primary platform for Bolsonarism, to identify patterns and features of conspiracy theories. Two core concepts are used: conspiracy theories as a worldview that addresses unpredictability and complexity of life in contemporary society, and Bolsonarism as a fundamentally conspiracist worldview grounded in reactionary authoritarianism and populism. Analyzing speeches delivered between 2019 and 2024, our inductive methodology identified both epistemological (logic) and narrative (rhetoric) elements. These individual elements organically integrated to form a pervasive, overarching conspiracy theory that we term “The Grand Collusion”. This theory was strategically deployed to support electoral campaigns and structure political opposition to the Lula government. “The Grand Collusion” alleges a vast alliance between the top echelons of the Judiciary (led by STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes) and the Brazilian Left (led by Lula), with assistance from major media and multilateral organizations. Its alleged objectives include rigging the 2022 elections and orchestrating the systematic persecution and censorship of Right-wing politicians and conservative citizens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Conspiracy Theories: Genealogies and Political Uses)
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9 pages, 182 KB  
Article
Decolonizing Patriarchy in East Africa: Insights from Two African Women Theologians (Teresia Hinga and Nasimiyu Wasike)
by Loreen Maseno and Sophia Chirongoma
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 148; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040148 - 8 Dec 2025
Viewed by 265
Abstract
Drawing insights from the work of two East African women theologians, Teresia Hinga and Nasimiyu Wasike, this article foregrounds how African women theologians are a formidable force in decolonizing patriarchy. Adopting a literature review approach, the article examines some of the literature produced [...] Read more.
Drawing insights from the work of two East African women theologians, Teresia Hinga and Nasimiyu Wasike, this article foregrounds how African women theologians are a formidable force in decolonizing patriarchy. Adopting a literature review approach, the article examines some of the literature produced by Hinga and Wasike, revealing how far they have gone in terms of breaking the thick walls of patriarchy which were fortified by Christianity, colonialism and modernity. In unison with these two giant East African women theologians, the article beckons all African women to resist the patriarchal injustices on their doorsteps. It raises a clarion call for them to reclaim their voices by refusing to be spoken for, spoken of, spoken about as if they were dead. Hence, it advocates for a resurgence of conversations around the decolonization of patriarchy. The article also suggests other possible interventions that can be implemented to enhance the attainment of gender parity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Decolonizing East African Genealogies of Power)
18 pages, 712 KB  
Article
Can Anti-Racist Civic Engagement Be Dialogic? A Dialogic Analysis of Decolonial Discourse in Belgian Higher Education
by Hari Prasad Sacré
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 147; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040147 - 6 Dec 2025
Viewed by 226
Abstract
Universities have become central arenas in which the terms of racial justice are negotiated, contested, and at times sanctioned. This article examines how decolonial discourse in Belgian higher education navigates the tension between dialogic and authoritative discourse. Decolonial discourse in Belgium tackles racial [...] Read more.
Universities have become central arenas in which the terms of racial justice are negotiated, contested, and at times sanctioned. This article examines how decolonial discourse in Belgian higher education navigates the tension between dialogic and authoritative discourse. Decolonial discourse in Belgium tackles racial illiteracy or the lack of institutional capacity to engage with the histories and contemporary realities of race. The study draws on a qualitative analysis of thirteen publicly available documents, including open letters, manifestos, and institutional responses produced between 2017 and 2021, with a dialogic analysis of five key texts within the Ghent University Association. Using Bakhtin’s framework of dialogic and authoritative discourse, operationalised through Matusov and von Duyke’s concept of internally persuasive discourse (IPD), the analysis identifies three modes of responding to racial illiteracy: appeals to personal conviction (IPD1), the formulation of new institutional norms (IPD2), and dialogic inquiry that treats illiteracy as a shared pedagogical problem (IPD3). The findings show that while decolonial movements expose the structural and epistemic conditions that sustain racial illiteracy, institutional responses from students, staff, and governing bodies often address these critiques by enforcing ‘decolonial’ personal convictions and institutional norms, risking the reproduction of the very illiteracy they seek to remedy. The article concludes that decolonial transformation requires cultivating dialogic practices that position racial illiteracy as a collective site of learning within the university’s civic mission. Full article
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23 pages, 366 KB  
Article
The Enforced Silence: Gaza and the Scholasticide of Palestinian Academics—Parallels, Provocations, and Pathways for Action
by Syra Shakir, Fadoua Govaerts and Penny Rabiger
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 146; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040146 - 4 Dec 2025
Viewed by 1260
Abstract
This article interrogates “enforced silence” in higher education as an active, racialised technology of governance that manages speech, polices dissent, and narrows the horizons of legitimate knowledge. Bringing scholarship on institutional racism, decoloniality, and academic freedom into dialogue with analyses of scholasticide, [...] Read more.
This article interrogates “enforced silence” in higher education as an active, racialised technology of governance that manages speech, polices dissent, and narrows the horizons of legitimate knowledge. Bringing scholarship on institutional racism, decoloniality, and academic freedom into dialogue with analyses of scholasticide, the systematic destruction of education and intellectual life in Palestine, the paper argues that neutrality and professionalism function as administrative veneers that protect institutional reputation while disciplining racialised scholars and erasing Palestinian epistemologies. Palestine operates here as both an acute site of violence and a diagnostic mirror that illuminates a transnational repertoire of epistemic governance: censorship, securitisation, campus injunctions, and weaponised definitions that chill debate and criminalise solidarity. The article extends the concept of scholasticide beyond material destruction to include ideological and institutional assaults on dissent and critical thought, demonstrating how marketised, securitised universities reproduce racial regimes while disavowing complicity. Against this architecture, the paper advances a praxis-oriented framework drawing on critical pedagogy and the Palestinian ethic of Sumud to envision universities as sites of freedom rather than corporate neutrality. It sets out concrete strategies for scholars and institutions, including protections for dissent, refusal of censorious definitions, divestment from complicit partnerships, cross-border classrooms, and recognition of emotional–political labour, to convert witness into transformative action. The article concludes by insisting that academic responsibility is irreducibly collective: education must commit to liberation, not serve domination. Full article
17 pages, 1313 KB  
Article
Generation One: White Children on First Nations/Aboriginal Country in Nineteenth-Century Australia
by Paula Jane Byrne
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040145 - 4 Dec 2025
Viewed by 413
Abstract
The first generation of non-Aboriginal children born into the First Nations/Aboriginal country had their own relationship to colonising. For them, Aboriginal people were negotiated as part of play. The children escaped the strictures of work or classroom to spend time at the Aboriginal [...] Read more.
The first generation of non-Aboriginal children born into the First Nations/Aboriginal country had their own relationship to colonising. For them, Aboriginal people were negotiated as part of play. The children escaped the strictures of work or classroom to spend time at the Aboriginal camps located near the homesteads, or to indicate Aboriginal presence on the stations. The locating of First Nations/Aboriginal people as part of play had an influence on the way non-Aboriginal people related to Aboriginal people and politics in Australian history. Full article
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12 pages, 239 KB  
Article
Global Tensions and Articulations in the Twenty-First Century Politics, and the Need to Reconceptualise Citizenship Education
by Charste C. Wolhuter, Johannes Lodewicus (Hannes) Van der Walt and Nico A. Broer
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040144 - 4 Dec 2025
Viewed by 338
Abstract
It seems, three decades into the twenty-first century, as if the interrelated trends of deglobalization, regressive nationalism, populism, and identity politics are gaining traction worldwide, thereby embodying inclinations that seem to be the opposite of those in preceding decades. Citizenship Education, both as [...] Read more.
It seems, three decades into the twenty-first century, as if the interrelated trends of deglobalization, regressive nationalism, populism, and identity politics are gaining traction worldwide, thereby embodying inclinations that seem to be the opposite of those in preceding decades. Citizenship Education, both as a broad academic discipline and as a school subject, appears to be a suitable vehicle for addressing and even countering these new global trends, if and when required. The first part of this paper surveys and assesses the aforementioned global political trends that are currently unfolding. This is followed by considering whether these trends can be countered by citizenship as a broad academic discipline, and by Citizenship Education as a subject taught in schools. The historical evolution and present state of citizenship education are reconstructed and assessed. The article concludes with arguments aimed at reconceptualising Citizenship Education as a school subject capable of successfully countering current political trends, if required. Full article
13 pages, 220 KB  
Article
White South African Refugee Claims to Marginalisation: A Case of Re-Racialisation
by Suriamurthee Moonsamy Maistry
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040143 - 2 Dec 2025
Viewed by 421
Abstract
South Africa has relatively recently transitioned from a condition of legislated racial stratification to a democracy in which all South Africans now enjoy political enfranchisement. While political emancipation has been achieved, economic and social emancipation remain elusive for the majority of Black South [...] Read more.
South Africa has relatively recently transitioned from a condition of legislated racial stratification to a democracy in which all South Africans now enjoy political enfranchisement. While political emancipation has been achieved, economic and social emancipation remain elusive for the majority of Black South Africans who still bear the brunt of poverty and deprivation. South Africa’s white colonial communities, having relinquished political power, continue to retain and enjoy economic and social class privileges. Despite state-driven social cohesion and nation-building initiatives, the envisaged ‘rainbow nation’ (a metaphor coined by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu) is becoming an increasingly fragile social aspiration. Historical legacies, especially regarding white affirmation, wealth accumulation, and the imperative for economic redistribution and land reform, have become key flashpoints in contemporary South Africa. This paper addresses the issue of how South Africa’s corrective justice and affirmative action policies are re-racialised into narratives of reverse racism, white persecution, and white genocide. It examines how racial arbitrage works where whiteness is systematically re-racialised and traded for its value in a different country context. It examines how disillusioned white South Africans leverage white racial and class privilege for transnational mobility and protections, white settler-colonial receptivity and white nationhood. It draws attention to the tensions and contradictions in global asylum regimes, illuminating transnational networks of privilege and economic superpower coercion. Full article
17 pages, 249 KB  
Article
More than Maids: Social Mobility Experiences Among Ethiopian Women Migrating to the United Arab Emirates
by Meron Zeleke Eresso and Ninna Nyberg Sørensen
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040142 - 1 Dec 2025
Viewed by 807
Abstract
The migration of Ethiopian women to the Middle East has primarily been studied in connection with domestic labour and the related vulnerabilities. Due to assumptions about the low educational levels of women entering this sector, as well as the precarity and temporality the [...] Read more.
The migration of Ethiopian women to the Middle East has primarily been studied in connection with domestic labour and the related vulnerabilities. Due to assumptions about the low educational levels of women entering this sector, as well as the precarity and temporality the sector entails, opportunities for social mobility have been largely overlooked. This article examines changes in Ethiopian women’s labour market participation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It demonstrates that, over time, women who enter the workforce as maids may transition into better-paid work or establish their own business ventures. It further depicts an evolving pattern of well-educated Ethiopian women entering the skilled labour market. Based on ethnographic findings from the UAE, the article offers a critical re-engagement with prevailing narratives of victimhood and severely restricted social mobility opportunities. Drawing on recent conceptualisations of mobilities, trajectories, and temporalities, the article critiques the tendency to portray Ethiopian female migrants as a homogeneous group with similar paths, thereby concealing the diversity of their experiences. Second, it questions the essentialization of women migrant workers as passive victims. By highlighting developments in women’s aspirations and agency over time, the article contributes new knowledge on the potential for social mobility within transnational labour markets. Full article
38 pages, 747 KB  
Article
A Model of Spaces and Access in the Construction of Asian and Asian American Identities: “Blood Only Takes You So Far”
by Chadrhyn A. A. Pedraza
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040141 - 1 Dec 2025
Viewed by 398
Abstract
The lack of research on Asian and Asian American students attending Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the Southwest U.S. leaves this population vulnerable to marginalization by educational leaders who are not adequately prepared to support their unique needs. Considered both a numerical and racialized [...] Read more.
The lack of research on Asian and Asian American students attending Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the Southwest U.S. leaves this population vulnerable to marginalization by educational leaders who are not adequately prepared to support their unique needs. Considered both a numerical and racialized community in HSIs in addition to their position as the model minority, this study aimed to examine how navigating a predominantly Hispanic context shaped participants’ understanding and construction of the Asian/Asian American identity. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, the study developed a model suggesting that Asian and Asian American students construct their identities through three interconnected spaces: expressions of Asian culture, relationships with other Asians, and physical features associated with Asian identities. Key findings include: participants’ navigation and negotiation of externally created narratives; personal interpretations of what it means to be Asian; the role of interactions within the HSI environment in shaping participants’ Asian identity construction; the consideration of access to identity spaces in participants’ personal interest, investment, and salience; and the contributions of cultural, relational, and racial spaces to identity construction. Full article
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21 pages, 745 KB  
Article
Constitution, Policy and Religion: Theorizing Non-Economic Dimension of Exploitation in Religious Minorities
by Shahzad Farid, Muhammad Fareed, Majid Raza and Ahmad Faizuddin
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 140; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040140 - 1 Dec 2025
Viewed by 959
Abstract
This study developed a model of non-economic exploitation using Marxian theory and Bourdieusian methods. A survey of 275 respondents from Hindu, Sikh, and Christian minorities in Pakistan assessed religious, cultural, and social exploitation. Using CB-SEM, findings revealed unequal distribution of structural resources, with [...] Read more.
This study developed a model of non-economic exploitation using Marxian theory and Bourdieusian methods. A survey of 275 respondents from Hindu, Sikh, and Christian minorities in Pakistan assessed religious, cultural, and social exploitation. Using CB-SEM, findings revealed unequal distribution of structural resources, with minorities having fewer than the majority. Religious, cultural, and social exploitation were significantly related (p < 0.05), with religious exploitation being the strongest predictor of the others. The study concludes that minority–majority (MM) relations are exploitative in non-economic terms, prompting minority resistance. Future research should evaluate the impact of exploitation and the extent of minority responses. Full article
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29 pages, 339 KB  
Article
Raising Children the Yörük Way: Traditional Practices and the Pressures of Modernization in Türkiye
by Özcan Palavan, Zeynep S. Uçaral, Ahmet Güneyli and Şeniz Şensoy
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040139 - 1 Dec 2025
Viewed by 447
Abstract
Background: This study examines how the Yörük community in Türkiye balances the preservation of traditional childrearing practices with modernization and compulsory schooling. Context: The Yörüks, a historically nomadic Turkic people, possess a distinct cultural identity that centres around oral knowledge transmission, family-based education, [...] Read more.
Background: This study examines how the Yörük community in Türkiye balances the preservation of traditional childrearing practices with modernization and compulsory schooling. Context: The Yörüks, a historically nomadic Turkic people, possess a distinct cultural identity that centres around oral knowledge transmission, family-based education, and pastoral living. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. Data Collection: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 Yörük participants selected through purposive sampling. Results: Four core themes were identified: Yörük culture, expectations of children, childrearing practices, and perceptions of schooling. Tensions emerge between traditional responsibilities, gender roles, and modern schooling structures. Conclusions: The study shows that cultural dissonance with the national education system contributes to educational exclusion and identity tension among Yörük children. Theoretical Implications: This study challenges dominant educational paradigms that overlook minority epistemologies and underscores the need to incorporate pastoralist worldviews into inclusive education theory. Practical Implications: It calls for flexible, culturally responsive policies, such as mobile or seasonal schooling and culturally inclusive curricula. Research Implications: Future studies could focus on the longitudinal impacts of modernization on the educational outcomes of pastoral communities or conduct comparative studies with other nomadic groups. Full article
11 pages, 439 KB  
Article
Kinship as Evidence: Genealogy, Law, and the Politics of Recognition
by Oluwaseyi B. Ayeni, Oluwajuwon M. Omigbodun and Oluwakemi T. Onibalusi
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 138; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040138 - 1 Dec 2025
Viewed by 246
Abstract
Genealogy has shifted from the private domain of family history to a central mechanism in law and governance. This article examines how genealogical claims are used as evidence in three critical domains: citizenship, inheritance, and indigenous recognition. Using a comparative socio-legal approach, the [...] Read more.
Genealogy has shifted from the private domain of family history to a central mechanism in law and governance. This article examines how genealogical claims are used as evidence in three critical domains: citizenship, inheritance, and indigenous recognition. Using a comparative socio-legal approach, the study analyses statutes, case law, and interdisciplinary scholarship to reveal both convergences and divergences in evidentiary practice. Across legal systems, descent remains decisive in allocating rights and recognition, yet the hierarchy of proof varies. Civil law states privilege documentary records, common law courts increasingly rely on DNA testing, and indigenous forums continue to give authority to oral genealogies. The rapid growth of genetic genealogy databases adds new complexity. While these technologies expand opportunities for verification, they also create ethical challenges concerning privacy, consent, and the extension of genealogical data into surveillance. To address these dynamics, the article develops an evidence regime framework that treats genealogy as criteria of proof, media of proof, institutional gatekeepers, and social consequences. The findings highlight genealogy’s dual character: it enables claims to rights yet also reproduces exclusion when evidentiary hierarchies are imposed. The article argues for pluralist standards that respect documentary, genetic, and oral genealogies, offering a pathway toward more inclusive and just legal recognition. Full article
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18 pages, 424 KB  
Article
Social Support or Social Networks? The Association Between Social Resources and Depression Among Central American Immigrants in the United States
by Andrea G. Pérez Portillo, Nidia Hernández and Xochilt Alamillo
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040137 - 1 Dec 2025
Viewed by 390
Abstract
Social connections and social support have shown strong associations with mental health within immigrant populations. This study examines the nuances in the associations between social network measures and perceived interpersonal support on depression among immigrants from Central America residing in the United States. [...] Read more.
Social connections and social support have shown strong associations with mental health within immigrant populations. This study examines the nuances in the associations between social network measures and perceived interpersonal support on depression among immigrants from Central America residing in the United States. Data for this project came from the 2012–2013 wave of the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC-III). In determining the association between lifetime depression and perceived interpersonal support, three social network measures (diversity, domain participation, and count) were assessed through a series of logistic regressions that controlled for demographic characteristics. Linear regressions were used to assess the relationship between perceived interpersonal support and network characteristics. Immigrants who had higher levels of perceived support had lower odds of meeting the criteria for depression. Social network measures were not significant in their association with depression; however, supplemental analyses indicated a strong relationship between network characteristics and perceived interpersonal support. Future research is needed to further elucidate the mechanisms of the social resources that contribute to immigrant health across peoples’ lifespans. Full article
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35 pages, 432 KB  
Review
Indigenous Consumer Racial Profiling in Canada: A Neglected Human Rights Issue
by Lorne Preston Foster and Lesley Allan Jacobs
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040136 - 1 Dec 2025
Viewed by 782
Abstract
This paper examines the pervasive yet underrecognized phenomenon of consumer racial profiling (CRP) against Indigenous peoples in Canada. Drawing on sociolegal analysis, public health research, and empirical data, the authors demonstrate how CRP—manifested in routine acts of surveillance, exclusion, and humiliation in retail [...] Read more.
This paper examines the pervasive yet underrecognized phenomenon of consumer racial profiling (CRP) against Indigenous peoples in Canada. Drawing on sociolegal analysis, public health research, and empirical data, the authors demonstrate how CRP—manifested in routine acts of surveillance, exclusion, and humiliation in retail and service spaces—functions as a contemporary expression of colonialism and systemic racism. The work identifies both individual and collective harms, including racial trauma, internalized inferiority, and civic alienation, while framing CRP as a neglected but critical human rights issue. The authors argue that CRP exacerbates intergenerational trauma and undermines reconciliation efforts, calling for Indigenous-specific remedies such as healing ceremonies, cultural safety training, and systemic data collection reforms. By situating CRP within broader patterns of legal consciousness, systemic discrimination, and access to justice, this report is a much-needed foundational resource for advancing anti-racist practices in commercial settings and fulfilling Canada’s private-sector obligations under the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Full article
21 pages, 257 KB  
Article
Investigating the Investigators: Moral Panic, Mixed-Race Families and Their Vilification in Interwar Britain
by Lucy Bland and Chamion Caballero
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040135 - 21 Nov 2025
Viewed by 459
Abstract
This paper investigates the investigators behind the distinct ‘moral panic’ that targeted mixed-race families residing in Britain’s multiracial port communities during the interwar period. This period witnessed heightened social anxieties following the First World War, exacerbated by the economic downturn and the visible [...] Read more.
This paper investigates the investigators behind the distinct ‘moral panic’ that targeted mixed-race families residing in Britain’s multiracial port communities during the interwar period. This period witnessed heightened social anxieties following the First World War, exacerbated by the economic downturn and the visible presence of multiracial populations, a consequence of wartime labour demands. The 1919–1920 ‘race riots’, erupting in various British port cities, served as a critical catalyst in the exposure of underlying racial prejudices and anxieties surrounding interracial relationships and mixed-race children. In our paper we explore how the ensuing ‘moral panic’ was not simply a spontaneous societal reaction fuelled by sensationalist and prejudiced reporting in the press, but was actively constructed and sustained through a confluence of official investigations and the actions of key individuals within government and society. These forces collectively contributed to a pathological legacy that profoundly impacted the treatment and perception of mixed-race families in Britain well beyond the interwar years. Our paper builds upon our collaborative work with Peter Aspinall, to whom this paper is dedicated as one of his last scholarly endeavours. Full article
13 pages, 379 KB  
Article
Navigating Identity: Citizenship and the Reality of the Second Generation of Albanian Origin in Greece
by Georgia Spyropoulou and Ilirida Musaraj
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040134 - 19 Nov 2025
Viewed by 556
Abstract
This article focuses on one critical factor among the many influencing identity formation in the second generation of Albanian origin in Greece: the acquisition of citizenship. Citizenship is more than a legal status; it serves as a fundamental marker of belonging, shaping access [...] Read more.
This article focuses on one critical factor among the many influencing identity formation in the second generation of Albanian origin in Greece: the acquisition of citizenship. Citizenship is more than a legal status; it serves as a fundamental marker of belonging, shaping access to rights, social mobility, and political participation. Despite the 2015 Greek citizenship law aiming to facilitate naturalization, many second-generation Albanians still face bureaucratic obstacles, and prolonged legal uncertainty. These barriers create a sense of social exclusion by limiting opportunities in education and employment and depriving them the right of political participation. Navigating these challenges forces individuals to negotiate their identity in complex ways. Some emphasize Greek identity, others adopt a hybrid identity, yet others reinforce Albanian self-identification. Broader societal attitudes, including stereotypes and discrimination, further shape these identity strategies. These strategies are furthermore influenced by the individuals’ life trajectories, which can either reinforce a sense of otherness or counteract it. Through in-depth interviews, this qualitative study argues that citizenship constitutes a crucial determinant of cultural and/or national belonging for some people, as it produces practical and symbolic conditions of inclusion or exclusion. Ultimately, Greek citizenship functions not just as an institutional gatekeeper but as a broader social force that shapes an individuals’ identity and sense of belonging within Greek society. Full article
19 pages, 406 KB  
Article
‘If We Do Not Speak Out, No One Else Will’: Adoptee Activism and Its Impact on Intercountry Adoption in The Netherlands
by Shila Khuki de Vries, Sarah Janaki Peshala de Vos and Kristen E. Cheney
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040133 - 19 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1116
Abstract
This article highlights the role of adoptee activism in raising awareness and changing policy regarding Intercountry Adoption (ICA) in The Netherlands. Through interviews with a selection of adoptees engaged in activism, this study shows that (i) adoptees became engaged in activism as a [...] Read more.
This article highlights the role of adoptee activism in raising awareness and changing policy regarding Intercountry Adoption (ICA) in The Netherlands. Through interviews with a selection of adoptees engaged in activism, this study shows that (i) adoptees became engaged in activism as a result of growing adoptee consciousness in combination with encountering irreconciliation; (ii) they employed many types of activism, sometimes with different goals and strategies; (iii) they cooperated in different constellations and with many allies such as journalists, lawyers and scholars; and (iii) their activism had significant impact on general awareness and government policy. Despite visible progress, reforms have fallen short of their needs, and implementation of government plans remains insecure. Many adoptees therefore feel compelled to continue their activism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adoption Is Stranger than Fiction)
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21 pages, 5265 KB  
Article
What Can Y-DNA Analysis Reveal About the Scottish Hay Noble Lineage?
by Philip Stead, Penelope R. Haddrill and Alasdair F. Macdonald
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040132 - 19 Nov 2025
Viewed by 2356
Abstract
The family name Hay (plus associated spelling variants) is a prominent Anglo-Norman-in-origin surname that has been well-documented as a Scottish noble lineage since the 12th century CE. Their historical significance, linked to the rise in the Anglo-Norman era (1093–1286 CE) in Scotland, and [...] Read more.
The family name Hay (plus associated spelling variants) is a prominent Anglo-Norman-in-origin surname that has been well-documented as a Scottish noble lineage since the 12th century CE. Their historical significance, linked to the rise in the Anglo-Norman era (1093–1286 CE) in Scotland, and the historical complexities of surname adoption post-Norman conquest of England, justifies the need for a comprehensive understanding of the genetic history of the Hay noble lineage. This study focuses on examining the patterns of paternal inheritance in lineages with the Hay surname. We conducted a comprehensive analysis of Y-chromosome data that is publicly available on the Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) platform, and specific FTDNA surname projects, as well as looking in more detail at three well-documented male-line descendants of William II de la HAYA, 1st of Erroll (d. 1201) that have been verified to a high degree of confidence. Our results reveal that all descendants of William II de la HAYA, 1st of Erroll (d. 1201) derive from the multigenerational Y-SNPs R1a-YP6500 (plus equivalent SNPs BY33394/FT2017) and R1a-FTT161. Furthermore, subclades of R1a-FTT161 have been identified that confirm direct male-line descent from two of William II de la HAYA’s sons. Subclade R1a-BY199342 (plus equivalents) confirms direct male-line descent from David de la HAYA, 2nd of Erroll (d. 1241), and subclade R1a-FTA7312 confirms direct male-line descent from Robert de la HAYA of Erroll. The result also confirms that the Hay noble lineage shares the Y-SNP R1a-YP4138 (estimated to have occurred in 832 CE) with several non-Hay test takers that have surnames of Norman origin, therefore providing further evidence to support the Norman origin hypothesis for these surnames. In addition to the identification of multigenerational Y-SNPs associated with documented Hay noblemen, this study has observed significant Y-DNA haplogroup diversity among males with the surname Hay (plus associated spelling variants: Hays, Haye, Hayes, Hey and Haya). Our results show that only 22% of the men sampled (n = 109) with the surname Hay (plus associated spelling variation) are descended from the 12th-century progenitor of the noble Hay lineage of Scotland. Therefore, this confirms that a significant proportion of males with the surname Hay do not descend from the noble progenitor of the Scottish Hay lineage of Erroll. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring Family Ancestral Histories Through Genetic Genealogy)
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49 pages, 355 KB  
Article
Cherokee Dispossession Through Claimant Self-Declaration: Assessing Cherokee Heritage Claims in the 2020 U.S. Census
by Daniel Heath Justice
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040131 - 19 Nov 2025
Viewed by 2441
Abstract
Despite extensive and multigenerational efforts by the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes to educate the larger public about the sovereign right and authority of Cherokee governments to determine affiliation, well over a million unaffiliated and unsubstantiated American claimants still declare Cherokee heritage in [...] Read more.
Despite extensive and multigenerational efforts by the three federally recognized Cherokee tribes to educate the larger public about the sovereign right and authority of Cherokee governments to determine affiliation, well over a million unaffiliated and unsubstantiated American claimants still declare Cherokee heritage in official records, deforming public understanding and reinforcing dangerously anti-Native racial logics. This article considers the problems associated with the “Cherokee” population categories in the 2020 U.S. census, its relationship to genealogical stereotypes in mainstream family history research, its dangers to Cherokee nationhood, and its consequences for Indian Country as a whole. Full article
13 pages, 478 KB  
Perspective
Genealogy as Analytical Framework of Cultural Evolution of Tribes, Communities, and Societies
by Ann-Marie Moiwo, Delia Massaquoi, Tuwoh Weiwoh Moiwo, Mamie Sam and Juana Paul Moiwo
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040130 - 15 Nov 2025
Viewed by 694
Abstract
Genealogy is a powerful analytical framework for understanding the cultural evolution of tribes, communities, and societies. This article demonstrates that the recurrent reliance on genealogical structures is a common feature of human societies, serving as a fundamental mechanism for cultural evolution through time, [...] Read more.
Genealogy is a powerful analytical framework for understanding the cultural evolution of tribes, communities, and societies. This article demonstrates that the recurrent reliance on genealogical structures is a common feature of human societies, serving as a fundamental mechanism for cultural evolution through time, space, and culture. Based on comparative analysis of indigenous tribal societies (e.g., Aboriginal Australian kinship, Polynesian chiefly genealogies), agrarian civilizations (e.g., European feudal lineages, Chinese patriliny), and modern nation-states (e.g., nationalist mythmaking, DNA-based ancestry movements), this study reveals consistent patterns in genealogical functions. Drawing on an interdisciplinary perspective from anthropology, sociology, history, and evolutionary biology, it is argued that genealogical systems are not passive records of descent but dynamic forces of cultural continuity and adaptation. The evidence shows that, despite vast sociocultural differences, genealogy widely operates as a dual-purpose instrument. It preserves cultural memory and legitimizes political authority while simultaneously facilitating social adaptation and innovation in response to new challenges. The paper also critiques contemporary trends like commercial genetic genealogy, highlighting its potential for reconnecting diasporic communities alongside its risks of biological essentialism. Ultimately, the work establishes that the persistent and patterned reliance on genealogy from oral traditions to genetic data offers a critical lens for understanding the deep structures of cultural continuity and transformation in human societies. It further underscores the importance of genealogy in cultural evolution, historical persistence, societal transformation, and the construction of belonging in an increasingly globalized world. Full article
29 pages, 451 KB  
Article
From Race to Risk: Framing Haitians in Dominican Policies and Discourses on Migration, 2020–2025
by Alejandro Ayala-Wold, Felicity Atieno Okoth and Jørgen Sørlie Yri
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040129 - 14 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1384
Abstract
Migration between Haiti and the Dominican Republic has long reflected Hispaniola’s intertwined histories of grievances, distrust, inequality, and interdependence. Under President Luis Abinader (2020–2025), this relationship gained renewed political significance as regional instability and Haiti’s institutional collapse made migration a central concern of [...] Read more.
Migration between Haiti and the Dominican Republic has long reflected Hispaniola’s intertwined histories of grievances, distrust, inequality, and interdependence. Under President Luis Abinader (2020–2025), this relationship gained renewed political significance as regional instability and Haiti’s institutional collapse made migration a central concern of governance. This study examines the Dominican state’s discourse on Haitian migration through a combination of historiographical interpretation and discourse-historical frame analysis. Using the diagnostic–prognostic–motivational triad, this analysis examines 26 official statements, legal documents, and media articles to trace how notions of order, security, and humanitarian responsibility have structured migration policy during this period. The findings identify four interrelated logics—securitisation, nativism, racialisation, and statelessness—that shape how migration is problematised and managed. While overtly xenophobic or racist language has largely disappeared from official discourse, older anti-Haitian hierarchies persist beneath a technocratic and humanitarian surface. Deportations, biometric border management, mass detentions, violence, and preferential bureaucratic practices are presented as neutral governance, even as they disproportionately and unlawfully affect darker-skinned citizens and migrants of Haitian descent. The analysis suggests that Dominican migration governance represents neither rupture nor continuity, but rather a rearticulation of narratives of security, sovereignty, and national identity in a context of contemporary securitising issues in Haiti. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forced Migration: New Trajectories, Challenges and Best Practices)
14 pages, 7330 KB  
Article
Veiled in Pixels: Identity and Intercultural Negotiation Among Faceless Emirati Women in Digital Spaces
by Monerica Arnuco
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 128; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040128 - 14 Nov 2025
Viewed by 569
Abstract
In today’s digital world where presence is often equated with personal visibility, the choice of Emirati women to remain faceless on social media presents a powerful counter narrative—one that reveals the complexities of identity, modesty and belonging in a hyperconnected multicultural society. This [...] Read more.
In today’s digital world where presence is often equated with personal visibility, the choice of Emirati women to remain faceless on social media presents a powerful counter narrative—one that reveals the complexities of identity, modesty and belonging in a hyperconnected multicultural society. This study takes a closer look at how these women manage their online identities by intentionally choosing not to show their faces on Instagram. Using digital ethnography and thematic analysis, this article explores how they navigate the balance between global expectations of self-expression and the traditional values of modesty and honor. Over a three-month period, the study observes their activity on Instagram, analyzing shared images to see how facelessness becomes a form of agency. The findings highlight the tension between Western-centric paradigms of identity and selfhood, proposing digital veiling as a transferable framework for understanding how modesty, discretion and agency are negotiated across digital cultures. This article contributes to the broader conversation on digital identity, gendered representation and intercultural negotiation by foregrounding the silent yet strategic practices of women who remain unseen but not unheard. Full article
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17 pages, 293 KB  
Article
Conceptualizing the Differences in the Perception and Internalization of Racism Between Black African Immigrants and African Americans in the United States
by Zulkarnain Mohammed
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 127; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040127 - 13 Nov 2025
Viewed by 810
Abstract
The existing literature on the differences in the internalization and perception of racism between Black African immigrants and African Americans in the United States has produced myriad data. However, what is lacking is a systematic conceptualization of the revealed patterns and trends. Moreover, [...] Read more.
The existing literature on the differences in the internalization and perception of racism between Black African immigrants and African Americans in the United States has produced myriad data. However, what is lacking is a systematic conceptualization of the revealed patterns and trends. Moreover, the few attempts in this regard are primarily based on a single geopolitical understanding of space in the United States, relegating the geopolitical space of Africa to the back burner. This paper attempts to bridge these gaps by proposing not just a multidisciplinary framework for conceptualization, but also a multi-space plane that cuts across both the American and African geopolitical spaces. The framework proposed in this paper consists of concepts drawn from sociology, negotiation studies, conflict resolution, and international studies. With this, I argued that the differences in self-conception, the availability of BATNA and externalities owing to the transnational identity of Black African immigrants grant them (Black African immigrants) the leverage of a relatively less internalized base of racism than their Afro-American counterparts. Within this context, this paper aims to provide one of many frameworks for assessing racism in the American context. Concomitantly, it adds to the growing body of literature advocating for intersectionality and a multidisciplinary approach as ideally suited to exploring and understanding the complexities associated with racial discourses. Full article
19 pages, 274 KB  
Article
The Face of Forced Consent in Postwar Adoptions from Greece: What Does It Look Like?
by Gonda A. H. Van Steen
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040126 - 12 Nov 2025
Viewed by 451
Abstract
This article explores the nature of forced consent in 1950s child adoptions from Greece to the United States. It contributes to critical adoption studies by centering the lesser-known “sending country” of Greece and by drawing from a rare combination of biographical data and [...] Read more.
This article explores the nature of forced consent in 1950s child adoptions from Greece to the United States. It contributes to critical adoption studies by centering the lesser-known “sending country” of Greece and by drawing from a rare combination of biographical data and testimonies, microhistorical contexts, and otherwise scant archival sources. At stake is the exceptionally well-documented treatment of a Greek birthmother who consented to the overseas adoption of her daughter under conditions of socioeconomic pressure. The article illustrates and denounces the aggressive postwar American approach to child adoption from Greece, which left no room for a strengths-based approach to the dependent nation, let alone to the unwed birthmother. The systemically disempowered birthmother and adopted daughter become paradigmatic of many more such seemingly private but essentially biopolitical adoption processes, which may elude notice for lack of proper documentation. Drawing also on conversations with the affected adoptee in later life, this article further endorses recent child-centered, diachronic historical methods and interdisciplinary approaches, as well as a call for truth and reconciliation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adoption Is Stranger than Fiction)
24 pages, 334 KB  
Article
International Adoptees’ Sexual Health: To Be Seen or to Be Visible?
by Anna Linde and Michael C. Sims
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040125 - 6 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1828
Abstract
International adoptees share the experience of unwanted separations as well as exposure to racism. Previous research has a general focus on adoptees’ infancy, childhood, and adolescence rather than adoptees in adulthood, which makes their own contributions and voice in research insufficient. The purpose [...] Read more.
International adoptees share the experience of unwanted separations as well as exposure to racism. Previous research has a general focus on adoptees’ infancy, childhood, and adolescence rather than adoptees in adulthood, which makes their own contributions and voice in research insufficient. The purpose of this study is to address the gap in research around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHRs) for adoptees in adulthood. By interviewing 35 international adoptees in Sweden and with the use of semi-structured interviews, the connection between Sexual Health and being adopted was explored. Anchored in a decolonial approach, this study draws on Hooks’ Critical Race Theory and Simon and Gagnon’s script theory when analysing the informants’ answers. Findings show that adoptees’ sexual health is partly shaped by structural racism, internalised norms, and the tension between expectations and adoption narratives. The knowledge gained from this study is expected to be of importance to people in the care sector as well as people working with adoptees because of its importance in understanding and exploring the lived experience of adoptees. Although the study is conducted in a Swedish context, it is relevant in a wider environment as it contributes to how colonial and historical contexts may inform and continue to impact adult adoptees’ sexual health, reflecting the complex interplay between societal expectations, personal identity, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adoption Is Stranger than Fiction)
13 pages, 257 KB  
Article
Complicating the Search Imperative in Transnational Adoption: An Anthropological Analysis of Non-Searching Transnational Adoptees in Belgium and Spain
by Atamhi Cawayu and Chandra Kala Clemente-Martínez
Genealogy 2025, 9(4), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/genealogy9040124 - 6 Nov 2025
Viewed by 1345
Abstract
In critical adoption scholarship, significant attention has been devoted to the searching and returning transnational adoptee, while those who opt not to search altogether remain largely overlooked. This article addresses this gap by examining the experiences of transnational adoptees who, despite being raised [...] Read more.
In critical adoption scholarship, significant attention has been devoted to the searching and returning transnational adoptee, while those who opt not to search altogether remain largely overlooked. This article addresses this gap by examining the experiences of transnational adoptees who, despite being raised in the 1990s and 2000s amid increasing openness about origins and adoption, choose not to search. Drawing on two anthropological studies with Bolivian adoptees in Belgium and Nepali adoptees in Spain, the article explores how agency and choice are shaped in relation to the decision not to search. It further examines how socio-political, cultural, and historical legacies—such as the enduring secrecy surrounding adoption and the privileging of closed familial models—have shaped adoptees’ convictions toward their origins, including the decision not to search. Foregrounding the perspectives of non-searching adoptees reveals that their position is not merely oppositional to that of the searching adoptee but rather emerges from the very same structural conditions within the adoption system—namely, a system built on silence, erasure, and restrictive notions of belonging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Adoption Is Stranger than Fiction)
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