The Human Genome Diversity Project: An Ethnography of Scientific Practice

Cambridge Studies in Society and the Life Sciences

by Amade M'Charek

The Human Genome Diversity Project was an important controversial research program arising from the debates surrounding the mapping of the human genome. This book, based on a detailed ethnographic study of two laboratories involved in the project, explores issues concerning standardization, naturalization and diversity generated in day-to-day work by scientists and technicians.

Genres: Anthropology

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2005

Reviews

[Alexandra]

just no bestie

[Iris]

This was so not what I was expecting. No flow, each chapter was about something completely different. The Introduction was quite nice, but then the direction of the book never became clear and the writing style became more difficult with each chapter until I didn't know what she tried to say. Hope I will get a better grade for my book review than I would give the book itself haha

[Sharad Pandian]

It's pretty good STS work in may ways (although I prefer Jenny Reardon's book Race to the Finish: Identity and Governance in an Age of Genomics, on the Diversity Project), but an overreliance on Annemarie Mol's notion of enacting reality (confusing artifacts that emerge from methodological choices for profound metaphysical insight) makes this increasingly unhelpful, particularly near the end where she tries to reflect on the politics of her project.