I also do work at the intersection of history and population genetics, including work with native communities. As the grandson of Cappadocian refugees expelled from their native land, I try to engage with the complex sentiments of displaced indigenous peoples in this work. Pain over disruption of community heritage and dispossession from traditional sites often remains raw. If engagement with descendant communities is lacking, research into our past can often feel like a continuation, even a legitimation, of dispossession. Combined alongside a dialogue with native communities, however, genetics can play a small role in helping to reclaim ancestral stories and dispersed community connections. I hope our work plays a constructive role in that process.
