Doctoral Dissertation Research: Understanding Cultural Influences On Population Structure and History through Genetic Analyses of Assyrians

Suny At Binghamton, Binghamton NY

Investigators

Abstract

Understanding the cultural and behavioral factors that shape human populations is important for studying the complex history and modern day distribution of our species. Language, religion, geopolitical boundaries, and sociocultural pressures are four such factors, but it is often difficult to explore their effects on population structure within a single population. This study explores the population genetics of present-day Assyrians, a Near Eastern ethnoreligious minority. Due to their relative isolation since the Sassanid Era, Assyrians are an excellent population for understanding the effects of linguistic, religious, and sociopolitical boundaries on populations, and for reconstructing the population history of Mesopotamia, an area of exceptional importance for the study of prehistoric and historic human migrations, the spread of agriculture, and the advent of modern civilization. The project will also bring attention to Assyrians as one of the fastest-growing underrepresented communities in the United States, introduce members of the Assyrian community to anthropological genetics and anthropology, and support the professional development of a graduate student who is also a member of this community. During this 12-month project, the investigators will determine mitochondrial and Y-chromosome haplotypes for at least 140 unrelated Assyrian individuals in the United States, mainly from Chicago area, home of the largest Assyrian population (n=80,000) outside of the Near East. Various genetic analytic methods will be used to measure differences in haplotype distributions among Assyrians originating from different countries (geopolitical boundaries), and between Assyrians and other Near Eastern populations (language, religious, and social boundaries). The project has the potential to significantly advance generalizable knowledge in human population genetics, in addition to filling in gaps in the population history of an individual culture and a historically important region of the world. Results will be disseminated through professional presentations and journals, but also through public outreach within and beyond the Assyrian community.