Relating through Dreams: Names, Genes and Shared Substance

In the late 1990s, Iceland became known worldwide for the development of a national genetic database. Articles in international newspapers addressed the issue of how a whole nation could agree upon selling their genetic material for medical research. Within the field of social anthropology, the concern is that such initiatives are a sign of the “geneticization” of society, leaving little room for what is designated as a socially constructed relatedness. An analysis of dreams, dreamt and shared by Icelanders, offers a different picture. Focusing on the important role of dreams for naming Icelandic children, this article seeks to demonstrate that even in a society such as Iceland, which is considered to be highly “genetic oriented”, practices that highlight non‐genetic relationships between people are significant.