Genetics, Health, and Society

Sociology has often situated itself in opposition to biologically deterministic and individualistic explanations of status difference and behavior that are exemplified by the idea of "hardwired" genetic coding. However, in the time since the mapping of the human genome, genetic technologies have proliferated, making it increasingly efficient to collect and analyze genetic data. At the same time, the field of genomics has begun to emphasize the conditioned, environmental, and stochastic factors underlying gene expression. Consequently, genetic approaches to human health and behavior have spread rapidly to other disciplines, including sociology. The consequences of this development for scientific advancement and the improvement of population health are complex and ambiguous, and have been debated both within and outside of genomics. Sociology's response to the surge in genetic science has also been varied. On one hand, a small but growing contingent of interdisciplinary sociologists has embraced genomic advances, working largely in the subfields of health, aging, and demography. On the other hand, sociologists have leveled strong criticisms against genetic essentialism and determinism, cautioning that genetic perspectives ignore or downplay the causal role of social factors in producing disease and health disparities. This volume of Advances in Medical Sociology focuses on critical issues surrounding the intersection of genetics, health, and society, it includes articles by leading sociologists of science, medicine, and health, covering topics such as social epigenetics, gene-environment interactions, genomic instability, and genetic approaches to race and health disparities. These authors also examine how genetic technologies and testing have been used in medical practice, revealing the costs and benefits of these innovations to society, groups, and individuals. This timely volume highlights important epistemological, methodological, and ethical issues that must be confronted before genomics can be leveraged to improve population health. Book jacket.