Crossing disciplinary lines: reconciling social and genomic perspectives on the histories and legacies of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans

Over the past two decades, advances in the field of genomics have presented new opportunities to shed light upon the origins of enslaved Africans and their contemporary descendants. While this possibility has caused enthusiasm among members of the public, it has provoked contention within the academic sphere. This paper represents an attempt to reconcile these opposing disciplinary divisions, by examining, explaining, and discussing the processes involved in the production of genetic “ancestry” estimates, in order to moderate the aura of absolute “truth” that is often associated with such techniques. Our discussion focuses on two case studies – the academic use of ancient DNA analyses to estimate the geographic origins of historically enslaved individuals, and the commercialization of DNA “ancestry” testing techniques aimed at African-American roots-seekers – and draws upon recent ethnographic data relating to the experiences of test creators and test-takers, in order to contribute to this debate.This work was supported by the EUROTAST project, a Marie Curie Actions Initial Training Network, funded by the European Union under the Seventh Framework Programme [grant number EUROTAST FP7-PEOPLE-2010]

Sex, Violence and History in the Lives of Idi Amin: Postcolonial Masculinity as Masquerade

Idi Amin, President of Uganda between 1971 and 1979, has become a contemporary icon of evil, exemplifying the idea of postcolonial Africa as an inevitable repetition of the 'heart of darkness'. This article argues that Amin's performance of gender and sexuality was central to the development of this iconic image, while a sexualized hyper-masculinity, linked to his colonial military background, was crucial in both Amin's rise to power and his manner of exercising it. Using both Lacanian theories of radical evil and anthropological analysis, the article concludes that Amin's image represents an historical imaginary concealing the realities of postcolonial power