On Masculinities, Technologies, and Pain: The Testing of Male Contraceptives in the Clinic and the Media
- 1 April 1999
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Science, Technology, & Human Values
- Vol. 24 (2), 265-289
- https://doi.org/10.1177/016224399902400204
Abstract
In the last fifteen years, testing has attracted much attention in science and technology studies. Most researchers have focused almost exclusively on testing in the laboratory, specifically designed test locations, and, for medical technologies, the clinic. What counts as testing has largely been described in terms of the activities of scientific experts. This is not to say that science and technology studies have completely neglected other institutional discourses. Journalistic texts have been a favorite research site for scholars in science and technology studies, particularly those seeking to understand the dynamics of public controversies on science and technology. Although most constructivist studies of science and media relations have treated journalistic texts as secondary to scientific texts, other scholars have dismissed this hierarchy. In this article, scientific texts and journalistic texts are considered equally important locations in which to analyze the testing of technologies. Based on a case study on the testing of a new contraceptive technology for men, the article shows that what counts as successful testing is not solely in the hands of scientific experts. In the case of male contraceptive technologies, journalists have contested the claims of scientific experts, particularly their claims about the cultural feasibility of the new technology.Keywords
This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit:
- From Population Control Politics to Chemicals: The WHO as an Intermediary Organization in Contraceptive DevelopmentSocial Studies of Science, 1997
- Evidence for the Acceptability of an Injectable Hormonal Method for MenInternational Family Planning Perspectives, 1995
- Science and the MediaPublished by SAGE Publications ,1995
- Strong Constructivism — from a Sociologist's Point of View: A Personal Addendum to Sismondo's PaperSocial Studies of Science, 1993
- The Development of Contraceptive Technology: Case Studies of Incentives and Disincentives to InnovationInternational Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 1993
- "Testing - One, Two, Three ... Testing!": Toward a Sociology of TestingScience, Technology, & Human Values, 1993
- The Bitter PillScience, 1989
- Certainty and the Public Understanding of Science: Science on Television1Social Studies of Science, 1987
- Scientific Theory and Technological Testability: Science, Dynamometers, and Water Turbines in the 19th CenturyTechnology and Culture, 1983
- The dominant role of users in the scientific instrument innovation processResearch Policy, 1976