L’épigénétique environnementale et le risque suicidaire : Reconsidérer la notion de contexte dans un style de raisonnement émergent
The rapidly growing and contested area of biological research known as “environmental epigenetics” studies the potential effects of environmental conditions on gene expression through a set of molecular mechanisms. Hailed by some social scientists as a paradigmatic overturning of received wisdoms ab...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fra |
| Published: |
Association Anthropologie Médicale Appliquée au Développement et à la Santé
2014-12-01
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| Series: | Anthropologie & Santé |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/anthropologiesante/1568 |
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| Summary: | The rapidly growing and contested area of biological research known as “environmental epigenetics” studies the potential effects of environmental conditions on gene expression through a set of molecular mechanisms. Hailed by some social scientists as a paradigmatic overturning of received wisdoms about evolution, heredity, and as a sign of an emergent domain of biosocial research, environmental epigenetics has also been met with scepticism by those who see environment and social contexts – as well as potential interventions – being reduced to the scale of molecular mechanisms. In this paper, we explore these issues in light of our ethnographic work in as part of a multidisciplinary group of researchers studying suicidal behaviour. We argue that while a distinct “style of reasoning” emerging from this work does indeed molecularize a range of environmental factors and locate them in the brain, this reflects a "pragmatic reductionism" on the part of the scientists themselves rather than a commitment to a narrow view of suicide. As such, more complex understandings of suicide risk – integrating ever more interdisciplinary researchers – remain possible limited not by interest but by technique, raw materials, and novel research practices. |
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| ISSN: | 2111-5028 |