Genetics, history and public understanding
3nd International workshop 
Barcelona, 30-31 May 2008

Following the successful second workshop in Brno in 2005, this third workshop
will precede the 2008 European Society for Human Genetics meeting, to be held in
Barcelona June 1-3.

Different from the previous ones this history and public understanding of human
genetics workshop will be more narrowly focused thematically and includes both
historical and contemporary studies on:

Hope, trust and troubled dreams of genetics

Genetics increasingly dominates medical and public thought and practice. The
trans-formation of genetic medicine from a marginal field in the 1950’s to a
core activity of biomedicine is one of the most interesting developments in
modern science. The rise of the new genetics with its promises and perils does
affect the medical and public perception and communication around health and
disease. The past decade we witness an increase and more intense focus on the
genetic and biological basis for disease. How does this spill over to
discussions in both medical and public spheres and what implications might be
visible with regard to the expectations, trust and concerns regarding genetics
and medicine?

Accounting for genetic or hereditary factors in medicine is nothing new in
itself. Since at least the eighteenth century scientists, doctors and patients
have tried to establish links between heredity and disease. The meaning,
visibility and legitimacy of these links have changed over time; from the brave
new world of eugenics to medicine’s 21th century holy grail. Moreover, the
traffic in ideas and practices between science, medicine and the public sphere
has never been one-way but always reciprocal. 

Most recently, doctoring healthy people on the basis of their genetic
susceptibility has raised concerns of misuses of genetic information (e.a.
stigmatization and discrimination) but has also created new expectations of its
uses and prospective uses in medicine. This invites to questions how
understandings of genetics as a technological and social project have changed
over time? 


The international workshop seeks to address this relatively neglected topic. The
goal is to explore how beliefs, knowledges and practices regarding genetics have
been distributed, exchanged, and co-produced, and to what effect. 

The workshop will be organized around the following three themes: 
1. Organizing public communication and genetic literacy 
2. Public challenges: data sharing, risk and stigma 
3. Understanding genetics as a technological and social project

We invite scholars from the fields of genetics, medical and social history,
social medicine, philosophy, medical ethics, anthropology and communication
studies to submit contributions. More details can be obtained from prof. Toine
Pieters (organiser, a.pieters@vumc.nl) or prof. Martina Cornel (co-organiser,
mc.cornel@vumc.nl) 

Programme and Organising committee

Prof. Ruth Chadwick, director of CESAGen and director of Nowgen's Ethical, Legal
and Social research theme, Lancaster University, UK.

Prof. Martina Cornel, Community Genetics, VU medical centre, Amsterdam, The
Netherlands (co-organiser)

Prof, Peter Farndon, Clinical Genetics Unit, Director Genetics Birmingham Womens
Hospital, Birmingham, UK

Prof. Peter Harper, Institute of Medical Genetics, University of Wales College
of Medicine, Cardiff (honorary member)

Prof. Toine Pieters, Department of Medical Humanities (Metamedica), VU medical
centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Organiser) 

Prof. Xavier Roqué Rodriguez, Centre d'Estudis d'Història de les Ciències
(CEHIC), Facultat de Ciències - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona - 08193
Bellaterra (Barcelona) Spain (Local host)

Dr. María Jesús Santesmases, Departamento de Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad,
Instituto de Filosofía, CSIC, Madrid

Prof. Christos Yapijakis, Department of Neurology, Clinical and Molecular
Neuro-genetics Unit, University of Athens, Greece

Back to ISHPSSB Listserv on the Web