Analysis unveils how English-language media shapes perceptions of Columbus's identity through genetic claims, implying broader societal implications.
In October 2024 a Spanish television documentary and subsequent press coverage claimed DNA evidence resolved Christopher Columbus’s origins. This article asks how English-language newspapers framed these claims and what boundary work they enabled. Using reflexive thematic analysis of 101 articles from Nexis Advance UK, we find that coverage (1) treated DNA as definitive, minimizing uncertainty; (2) translated genetic claims into claims about national and ethno-religious identity; and (3) paired reclassification with moral narratives of disavowal and redemption. We argue these framings enact sociogenetic essentialism, linking genetic evidence to familiar national categories.
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