Immigene
DNA and Immigration: Exploring the social, political and ethical implications of genetic testing for family reunification
Project Coordinator:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Lemke
J.W. Goethe University; Faculty of Social Sciences
Germany
Partners:
DDr. Urlsula Naue
University of Vienna; Department of Political Science
Austria
Dr. Mag. Martin G. Weiss
University of Klagenfurt; Department of Philosophy
Austria
Adjunct Prof. Ipo Helén
University of Helsinki; Department of sociology
Finland
Abstract:
Since the early 1990s, many countries have been using more restrictive policies to
limit the number of immigrants who cross their borders. This change in immigration
policies has affected family reunification. Today, many European and non-European
countries are using genetic testing to verify that those applying to be reunited as a
family are indeed related.
The project is part of a research consortium that will analyze the historical
development and the institutional framework of applying DNA testing for decisionmaking on immigration issues in three European countries, Austria, Finland and Germany. The project will focus on Germany and the research is organized in three research phases. The first stage draws together legal documents, codes of guidance, reports, policy statements, and information from expert interviews relevant to the specific historical and institutional trajectories in using genetic testing for immigration decisions/family reunification. The second step of the project consists in identifying the ethical, societal and political challenges at stake, focusing on interviews with representatives of immigration bureaus, lawyers, and human rights activists as well as family members who have provided (or refused to provide) genetic material in the course of immigration decisions. On the basis of this analysis, we will in the third part of the project develop policy recommendations for ways in which legal regulations and forms of governance could be put in place to regulate immigration processes and to protect family life and privacy issues.
The general objective of the project is to reconstruct the historical process and the
institutional logics of DNA testing in a comparative and philosophically informed
perspective. It will identify and analyze societal, political and ethical issues raised by
the use of genetic technologies in the context of immigration policy and provide
recommendations for policies and legal regulations.