Biotechnology Unglued explores this question in a well-considered investigation of the effects of technology on social cohesion. The essays present case studies of how various applications in agricultural, medical, and forensic biotechnology have affected the cohesiveness of agricultural communities, citizens, consumer groups, scientific communities, and society in general. The contributors, from a range of backgrounds, demonstrate how particular kinds of technology-society and technology-corporate configurations affect social cohesion by creating cultures of surveillance, competition, social exclusion, and control.
Michael Mehta is Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Sociology of Biotechnology Program at the University of Saskatchewan.