Ebook: Genetics as Social Practice: Transdisciplinary Views on Science and Culture

Recent lively debate about the ethical and regulatory dimensions of developments in genetics has sidelined societal and cultural aspects, which arguably are indispensable for a nuanced understanding of the complexities of the topic. Regulatory and ethical debates benefit from taking seriously this 'third dimension' of culture, which often determines the configurations and limits of the space within which scientific, ethical and legal debate can take place. To fill this gap, this volume brings together contributions exploring the mutual relationship between genetics, markets, societies and identities in genetics and genomics. It draws upon the recent interdisciplinary debate on how socio-cultural factors influence attitudes towards the usage of, and the belief in, 'genetics2.0' and shows how individual and collective identities are challenged by cultural meanings of genetics. This book will become the standard reference for everyone seeking to make sense of the controversies and shifts in the field of genetics in the second decade of the twenty-first century.