Graduation Date
1999
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Sociology
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Elizabeth Watson
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Carol A. Whitehurst
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Ronald A. Fritzsche
Keywords
Sociology
Subject Categories
Sociology
Abstract
Biotechnology, the duplication of natural processes with artificial procedures and objects, is reshaping the way we see ourselves, and the world around us. Recent advances in genetic engineering have resulted in unprecedented hypotheses about the power and efficacy of the human genetic code. The entire human genetic structure is in the process of being mapped out, and this project should be completed within the next ten years. The Human Genome Project (HGP) represents are qualitative leap in modern science; it is a trans-national enterprise that promises to simultaneously release humanity from the grip of a multitude of physiological pathologies, and open up an only timidly explored territory of the biological sciences. The HGP and its related discoveries will alter the way we talk about nature, society, the body, and the self. Sociologists have examined the profound effects of scientific advancement upon modem society. These works investigate the complex interactions between science and technology, and consciousness and human organization (Berger et al. 1973.) Recently, the sociology of scientific knowledge (SSK) has given rise to a methodology (“methodological intemalism” [MI] in Knorr-Cetina & Mulkay 1983,) and fostered a body of interdisciplinary theoretical positions (“science and technology studies” [STS] see Jasanoff et al. 1995.) These developments emphasize the social iv construction of scientific knowledge, and examine the genealogy of scientific facts (see Knorr-Cetina 1981; Clarke and Fujimura 1992; Collins and Pinch 1994.) By problematizing the once-stable distinction between science and society, social researchers have developed new insights into the production of knowledge, and directly examined the cognitive content of scientists’ claims to truth (for example, Latour and Woolgar 1979; Haraway 1997.) This study is firmly within the current work of SSK, and illuminates two main points: 1. The rise of “bioinformatics,” which is the convergence of molecular biology, genetic engineering, and computer science; 2. The social construction of biotechnology within a biotech firm. This study used qualitative methodologies to analyze how knowledge is constructed in a social setting. An ethnography of a biotechnology firm provided a picture of the background stock of knowledge that is at work, and interviews allowed for more in-depth issues to be addressed. The interviews were semi-structured, and coded for emergent themes around ideas of science, technology, and culture.
Recommended Citation
Ganchoff, Christopher B., "Making Genes: A Pilot Study of the Social Construction of Biotechnology" (1999). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2379.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2379