Risky Genes: Genetics, Breast Cancer and Jewish Identity

Ashkenazi Jews have the highest known population risk of carrying three specific mutations in the high-risk breast cancer genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. This book provides previously unexplored first hand intimate descriptions of women'¬"s experiences of being Jewish and at increased risk of genetic breast cancer to reveal the complex ways in which biological and social understandings of Jewish belonging intersect, while also carefully reflecting upon the ways in which these are co-produced. Using qualitative data from high-risk Ashkenazi women in the UK, this book elucidates the importance of biological discourses in forging Jewish identity and demonstrates that genetic knowledge does not necessarily transform identity or lead to biologically essentialised thinking about being Jewish. In contrast, this book reveals that the consequences of genetic knowledge for populations are not necessarily viewed as damaging, exclusionary or as a return to historical misuses of genetics but in fact can reiterate collective identity and lead to a supportive attitude towards research, which is seen as having the potential to benefit the population as a whole. Evidence is provided from qualitative in-depth interviews with high-risk Ashkenazi women, non high-risk individuals, and ethnographic observations in cancer genetic clinics and Jewish community centres in London, England. The original material critically reflects upon and offers new insight into the ongoing debates regarding the implications of genetic research for populations, and of new genetic knowledge for individual and collective identity.