The biotechnical embrace

Area of Science:

• Sociology of Science and Technology
• Medical Sociology
• Biotechnology and Society Studies

Background:

• Bioscience and biotechnology profoundly impact society, necessitating frameworks to understand this relationship.
• Existing research often overlooks the affective and cultural dimensions of high-technology medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and examine three interpretive concepts: the medical imaginary, the biotechnical embrace, and the clinical narrative.
• To analyze how these concepts link bioscience and biotechnology to societal experiences.
• To explore the role of emotions in the political economy and culture of hope within biomedicine.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis drawing on international research in the culture and political economy of biomedicine.
• Examination of case studies involving patients, clinicians, scientists, and venture capitalists.
• Focus on oncology and high-technology medicine sectors.

Main Results:

• The medical imaginary, biotechnical embrace, and clinical narrative offer valuable interpretive lenses.
• Affective dimensions of experience are central for patients, clinicians, and scientists in high-technology medicine.
• These concepts illuminate the political economy and culture of hope surrounding bioscience.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the affective dimensions is fundamental to grasping the societal integration of bioscience and biotechnology.
• The proposed interpretive concepts provide a framework for analyzing the complex interplay between technology, emotion, and society in medicine.
• This research contributes to understanding the cultural and economic underpinnings of hope in contemporary biomedicine.