Direct-to-Consumer Genomics and Genetization of Society: Rethinking Identity, Social Relations and Responsibility

Direct-to-Consumer Genomics and Genetization of Society: Rethinking Identity, Social Relations and Responsibility


Grebenshchikova E.G.

Dr. Sci. (Philos.), Head of the Center of Scientific Information Studies in Science, Education and Technologies, Institute of Scientific Information for Social Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia aika@ya.ru

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The research was supported by the grant of Russian Science Foundation, project No. 19-18-00422.


For citation:

Grebenshchikova E.G. Direct-to-Consumer Genomics and Genetization of Society: Rethinking Identity, Social Relations and Responsibility. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2020. No 2. P. 13-19




Abstract

The article reveals some of the socio-humanitarian problems of direct-to-consumer genomics, examines its influence on the understanding of identity, social relations, and the relationship between consumers and healthcare providers. Particular attention is paid to the prognostic specificity of genetic information, which calls into question the traditional ideas about risks and informing in medicine, forming new areas of “self-care” and new areas of responsibility. Two theoretical approaches to assessing the prospects for the development of genomic medicine are considered: empowerment users and increasing biopower. Particular attention is paid to the concept of genetization of society, which could not completely replace the discourse of medicalization in social studies of medicine and bioethics, but showed how new knowledge about the human genome affects social contexts of the development of biomedicine, fits into broader discussions about health management, defines the research agenda.


Keywords
direct-to-consumer genomics; sociology of medicine; autobiology; bioethics; genetization; medicalization
Content No 2, 2020