Michel DUBOIS, Social Dynamics of Biomedical Research. An Actionist Perspective on the Sociology of Science, Oxford, The Bardwell Press, 2012

Presentation Contemporary biomedical research is of great concern in the scientific community and for society as a whole. It poses key questions—not just for science and medicine, but because of its economic, legal, ethical, and even philosophical ramifications. In his new book on the social dynamics of biomedical research, Michel Dubois analyses two contemporary areas of rapid scientific growth: stem cell and prion diseases. Through a study of changes in scientific collaboration in these fields, his aim is to offer an alternative to the overly simplistic view of scientific transformation associated with the idea of “technoscience”. Dubois provides a critical assessment of sociological research programmes such as constructivism and actor–network theory. He develops an innovative theory directed towards the renewal of the sociology of science. It defines the principles of a sociological approach based on scientific action and its often unintended consequences.