Living and Working with the New Medical Technologies: Intersections of Inquiry (Cambridge Studies in Medical Anthropology, Series Number 8)

This stimulating collection of essays, a product of a dialogue among anthropologists, sociologists, and philosopher-historians, focuses on the newly created biomedical technologies and their practical applications. Drawing on ethnographic and historical case studies, the authors show how biomedical technologies are produced through the agencies of tools and techniques, scientists and doctors, funding bodies, patients, and the public. Despite shared concerns, the authors achieve no consensus about their research objectives, and deep epistemological divides clearly remain, making for provocative reading.

This stimulating collection of essays, a product of face-to-face dialogues among anthropologists, sociologists, and philosopher-historians, focuses on the newly created biomedical technologies and their application in practice. Drawing on ethnographic and historical case studies, the authors show how biomedical technologies are produced through the agencies of tools and techniques, scientists and doctors, funding bodies, patients, clients, and the public. Despite shared concerns, the contributions reveal that the authors have achieved no consensus about the objectives of their research. Deep epistemological divides clearly remain, making for provocative reading.