Kolka, Alexandra
(2012)
The public sphere according to UK stem cell scientists.
PhD thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science.
Abstract
In this thesis the concept of social representations is made relevant to the study of the
‘public sphere’ according to scientists. This is elaborated by the re-examination of the
notion of a ‘consensual’ and a ‘reified universe’ substantiating a more sociopsychological approach in the study of relevant phenomena. Two processes generate
social representations of the public: anchoring and objectification. The empirical
study investigates the scientists’ views of the public sphere, in relation to public
perceptions, media coverage and the regulation of cloning technology. Elite media
coverage of the stem cell debate and conversations with stem cell scientists are
systematically analysed with multiple methods. Findings are based on 461 news
articles that appeared in Nature and Science between 1997 and 2005 and on
interviews with 18 U.K based stem cell researchers conducted between February and
October 2005. The analysis compares the debate before and after the ‘stem cell war’
of 2002, and typifies a high tension in representing the public sphere, elaborated in
metaphors and prevailing arguments. Central elements of the representation assume a
strong disassociation of science from the public sphere; peripheral elements operate
with a degree of blurring of those same boundaries, which recognises a common
project. This representation, while being expressive of its context of production,
constitutes a functional response to it.
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