LaKisha Tawanda David

My research incorporates biological and sociocultural anthropology as I delve into the biological and social aspects of genetic genealogy among persons with recent ancestors from Africa. I examine family and ethnic identity development among African Americans who use genetic genealogy to identify and interact with their genetic relatives residing in Africa. Similarly, I examine African perspectives on their involvement with their genetic genealogical connections with descendants of ancestors taken away from Africa during the generations of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. In support of both the African and African diaspora perspectives, I examine the use of computational techniques to infer genetic genealogy networks spanning upwards of 9 generations. This method provides a powerful link, binding Africans and members of the historic African diaspora in a continuum of shared family, community, and population history. At the heart of my research is a profound quest to unravel the genetic, historical, and emotional narratives interwoven through time and our genomes. It is a quest for identity and belonging with genetics as supporting evidence of a shared family past.