1st Edition

Biotechnology Between Commerce and Civil Society

By Nico Stehr Copyright 2004
    364 Pages
    by Routledge

    386 Pages
    by Routledge

    "While other books have addressed isolated aspects of recent developments in the biomedical sciences, Biotechnology: Between Commerce and Civil Society is the first book tgo engage with the full range of biotechnology's implications for social science and for society at large." -Professor Volker Meja

    New scientific knowledge is no longer merely the key to unlocking the secrets of nature and society. It now represents the "becoming" of a new world. Scientific developments affect the ways in which we conduct our affairs, as well as how we comprehend the changes underway as the result of novel technical artefacts and scientific knowledge. The practical fruits of biotechnology are a case in point; they have grasped our imaginations, and generated worldwide debate and concern. Debates on biotechnology shift between images of utopia and dystopia. The social sciences deserve a voice in the debate, and can do so through sober examination of the economic, social, and cultural implications of biotechnology. Some economists even predict that the importance of biotechnology as the technology of the future will far exceed that of the information technologies, in particular the Internet. The contributors to this volume are drawn from a broad spectrum of the social sciences, and include Nico Stehr, Gene Rosa, Steve Fuller, Steve Best and Douglas Kellner, Nikolas Rose, Fred Buttel, Javier Lezaun, Anne Kerr, Susanna Hornig Priest and Toby Ten Eyck, Martin Schulte, Alexander Somek, Steven P. Vallas, Daniel Lee Kleinman, Abby Kinchy and Raul Necochea, Herbert Gottweis, J. Rogers Hollingsworth, Gysli Pblsson, Elizabeth Ettore, Richard Hindmarch and Reiner Grundmann. The impact of science on society is destined to be a fundamental concern in the new century. This volume illustrates the contributions anthropology, law, political science, and sociology can make to the ongoing discussions about the role of biotechnology in modern societies. Nico Stehr is senior research associate, Institut for Technikfolgenabschotzung, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe and Institut for Kostenforschung, GKSS, Germany. He also is a fellow in the Center for Advanced Cultural Studies in Essen, Germany, editor of the Canadian Journal of Sociology, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Among his recent books are Werner Sombart: Economic Life in the Modern Age (with Reiner Grundmann, published by Transaction); The Fragility of Modern Societies: Knowledge and Risk in the Information Age; Knowledge and Economic Conduct: The Social Foundations of the Modern Economy; and Wissenspolitik: Die ?berwachung des Wissens.

    Preface and Acknowledgements
    Nico Stehr
    Introduction: Biotechnology: Between Commerce and Civil Society
    Nico Stehr

    Part I
    Biotechnology and Civil Society: Historical
    and Theoretical Perspectives
    Introduction: Historical Perspectives on Re-Shaping Knowledge,
    Re-Shaping Society
    Eugene A. Rosa
    1. Back to the Future with Bioliberalism: Or, the Need
    to Reinvent Socialism and Social Science in the
    Century
    Steve Fuller
    2. Biotechnology, Ehics, and the Politics of Cloning
    Steven Best and Douglas Kellner
    3. Becoming Neurochemical Selves
    Nikolas Rose

    Part II
    Biotechnology, Commerce and Civil Society:
    The Social Construction of Biotechnology
    Introduction
    Frederick H. Buttel
    Biotechnology: Between Commerce and Civil Society
    4. Pollution and the Use of Patents: A Reading
    of Monsanto v. Schmeiser
    Javier Lezaun
    5. Genetics and Citizenship
    Anne Kerr
    6. Peril or Promise: News Media Framing of
    the Biotechnology Debate in Europe and the U.S.
    Susanna Hornig Priest and Toby Ten Eyck

    Part III
    Major Societal Institutions and Biotechnology:
    The Law, the State, and the Economy
    Introduction
    Martin Schulte
    7. This is About Ourselves: Or, What Makes Genetic
    Discrimination Interesting
    Alexander Somek
    8. The Culture of Science in Industry and Academia: How
    Biotechnologists View Science and the Public Good
    Steven P. Vallas, Daniel Kleinman, Abby Kinchy,
    and Raul Necochea

    9. Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Cloning, and
    the Transformation of Biopolitics
    Herbert Gottweis

    Part IV
    Biotechnology and Civil Society: Case Studies
    Introduction
    J. Rogers Hollingsworth
    10. The Icelandic Biogenetic Project
    Gisli Palsson
    11. Comparing the Practice of Reproductive Genetics in
    Greece, UK, Finland, and The Netherlands: Constructing
    "Expert" Claims while Marking "Reproductive" Time
    Elizabeth Ettorre
    12. GM Policy Networks in Asia: A Discursive Political History
    of the "Doubly Green Revolution"
    Richard Hindmarsh
    Conclusions: Shape the Body, Watch the Mind�The
    Brave New World of Individualism in the Age
    of Biotechnology
    Reiner Grundmann
    About the Authors
    Name Index
    Subject Index

    Biography

    Nico Stehr