1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910457251503321

Autore

Gerlach Neil

Titolo

Becoming biosubjects : bodies, systems, technologies / / Neil Gerlach [and three others]

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Toronto, [Ontario] ; ; Buffalo, [New York] ; ; London, [England] : , : University of Toronto Press, , 2011

©2011

ISBN

1-4426-6009-0

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (225 p.)

Collana

Cultural studies series

Disciplina

303.48/3

Soggetti

Biotechnology - Social aspects - Canada

Genetic engineering - Social aspects - Canada

Human body

Forensic genetics - Technique

Criminal justice, Administration of - Canada

Reproductive technology - Government policy - Canada

Bioterrorism - Canada - Prevention

Biotechnology - Canada

Bioterrorism - Prevention

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- CHAPTER ONE. Introduction -- CHAPTER TWO. DNA Identification and Genetic Justice -- CHAPTER THREE. The Sexual Politics of Biotechnology -- CHAPTER FOUR. Biopatents and the Ownership of Life -- CHAPTER FIVE. Biosecurity, Bioterrorism, and Epidemics -- CHAPTER SIX. Conclusion: Becoming Biosubjects -- Notes -- References -- Index

Sommario/riassunto

Becoming Biosubjects examines the ways in which the Canadian government, media, courts, and everyday Canadians are making sense of the challenges being posed by biotechnologies. The authors argue that the human body is now being understood as something that is fluid and without fixed meaning. This has significant implications both



for how we understand ourselves and how we see our relationships with other forms of life.Focusing on four major issues, the authors examine the ways in which genetic technologies are shaping criminal justice practices, how policies on reproductive technologies have shifted in response to biotechnologies, the debates surrounding the patenting of higher life forms, and the Canadian (and global) response to bioterrorism. Regulatory strategies in government and the courts are continually evolving and are affected by changing public perceptions of scientific knowledge. The legal and cultural shifts outlined in Becoming Biosubjects call into question what it means to be a Canadian, a citizen, and a human being.