Present pasts in the archaeology of genetics, identity, and migration in Europe: a critical essay

In this essay, we interrogate how aDNA analyses have been blended with the study of migrations in European prehistory. Genetic research into ancient populations has given archaeologists and geneticists a new and rich data-set that sparks media coverage and public fascination. Yet far right wing and racist political activists also report on and repeat the results of archaeogenetic studies because it bolsters their image of ‘Fortress Europe’ under...