Sporløs – Om biologi, identitet og slægten som fjernsyn [Find My Family - On biology, identity and kinship on television]

Abstract

During recent years, the Danish public service television station (DR) has launched several documentary serials that focus on kinship and genealogy. Genealogy makes ‘good TV’ because it enables an immediate identification with the protagonist of the programme. Furthermore, the protagonist’s personal story can function as a vehicle for telling other stories. However, the way kinship is depicted in the serials presupposes that a person’s knowledge about her biological kin equals knowledge about her personal identity. The article analyses the serial Find my Family (Danish: Sporløs), discussing the naturalisation of biological kin and the possible consequences of the conceptualisation of kinship that is taken for granted in the serial.