Social Theory & Human Biotechnology

The book is intended as a contribution towards metatheoretical development as part of the post-postmodern ‘return to’ sociological theory associated with Robert Sibeon (1996, 1999, 2004, 2007), Derek Layder (1997, 2004, 2007), Nicos Mouzelis (1991, 1993, 1995, 2007), Margaret Archer (1995, 1998) and Owen [2006a, 2006b, 2007a, 2007b] in tandem with a study of some of the sociological and ethical implications of selected examples of human biotechnology. The examples include the Human Genome Project, and related areas of interest such as reproductive biotechnology; the attempts to develop a biological sociology by writers of the ‘embodied’ school; and what Powell and Owen (2005) term ‘the biomedical model’. The book is also intended to contribute towards ‘building bridges’ between post-modern metatheory and biological science.