Fosterexperimentens produktiva hemlighet

In recent years, secrecy and openness in science and related questions about the selective flow of knowledge and the production of ignorance has emerged as an important topic in historical and social studies of science. This paper deals with the circulation of information and knowledge about medica...

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Main Author: Solveig Jülich
Format: Article
Language:Danish
Published: Lärdomshistoriska samfundet 2019-01-01
Series:Lychnos
Subjects:
Online Access:https://tidskriftenlychnos.se/article/view/21304
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author Solveig Jülich
author_facet Solveig Jülich
author_sort Solveig Jülich
collection DOAJ
description In recent years, secrecy and openness in science and related questions about the selective flow of knowledge and the production of ignorance has emerged as an important topic in historical and social studies of science. This paper deals with the circulation of information and knowledge about medical research on aborted human foetuses in Sweden, primarily during the 1960s and the 1970s. The aim is to investigate how individual and institutional actors developed and made use of strategies for “selective openness” about foetal experimentation, and the implications for the control of in- formation and public debate. Drawing on media coverage, official documents, letters and interviews the analysis shows that governmental authorities and medical experts tried to influence which knowledge became available to whom. Yet, they still had to interact with and respond to public criticism. A central argument is that secrecy is a productive phenomenon that generates various sorts of social effects. By relating to the experiments as a secret worthy of protection, and helped by some media, the medical researchers developed a “moral economy”. Another aspect is the amount of conflicting information and knowledge claims about “life”, “death” and “viability” that were produced in the wake of public protests and negative attention around the research. The secret, it turns out, had a multifaceted character.
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spelling doaj.art-f35ccf7b4d224a8680cc8e98f0b1f9092023-06-30T19:33:56ZdanLärdomshistoriska samfundetLychnos0076-16482004-48522019-01-01Fosterexperimentens produktiva hemlighetSolveig Jülich0Uppsala universitet In recent years, secrecy and openness in science and related questions about the selective flow of knowledge and the production of ignorance has emerged as an important topic in historical and social studies of science. This paper deals with the circulation of information and knowledge about medical research on aborted human foetuses in Sweden, primarily during the 1960s and the 1970s. The aim is to investigate how individual and institutional actors developed and made use of strategies for “selective openness” about foetal experimentation, and the implications for the control of in- formation and public debate. Drawing on media coverage, official documents, letters and interviews the analysis shows that governmental authorities and medical experts tried to influence which knowledge became available to whom. Yet, they still had to interact with and respond to public criticism. A central argument is that secrecy is a productive phenomenon that generates various sorts of social effects. By relating to the experiments as a secret worthy of protection, and helped by some media, the medical researchers developed a “moral economy”. Another aspect is the amount of conflicting information and knowledge claims about “life”, “death” and “viability” that were produced in the wake of public protests and negative attention around the research. The secret, it turns out, had a multifaceted character. https://tidskriftenlychnos.se/article/view/21304foetal researchcirculation of knowledgepublic knowledgesecrecySwedensecond part of twentieth century
spellingShingle Solveig Jülich
Fosterexperimentens produktiva hemlighet
Lychnos
foetal research
circulation of knowledge
public knowledge
secrecy
Sweden
second part of twentieth century
title Fosterexperimentens produktiva hemlighet
title_full Fosterexperimentens produktiva hemlighet
title_fullStr Fosterexperimentens produktiva hemlighet
title_full_unstemmed Fosterexperimentens produktiva hemlighet
title_short Fosterexperimentens produktiva hemlighet
title_sort fosterexperimentens produktiva hemlighet
topic foetal research
circulation of knowledge
public knowledge
secrecy
Sweden
second part of twentieth century
url https://tidskriftenlychnos.se/article/view/21304
work_keys_str_mv AT solveigjulich fosterexperimentensproduktivahemlighet