CULTURAL-STUDIES OF BIOMEDICINE - AN AGENDA FOR RESEARCH

This paper outlines a 'cultural studies' approach to investigations of the transnational world of contemporary biomedicine. Although biomedi cine is fostered by an international political economy and global comm unity of medical educators and bioscientists, it is taught, practiced, organized and consumed in local contexts. This essay argues that cult ural studies of comtemporary biomedicine should focus on the dynamic r elationship between local and international worlds of knowledge, techn ology and practice. Three issues illustrate this approach: (1) an expl oration of the tensions inherent in the local and cosmopolitan shaping of 'clinical narratives', with examples drawn from comparative studie s of oncology; (2) an exploration of the influence of biomedical resea rch findings and international clinical trials on the production of cl inical narratives, with examples drawn from current research on breast cancer; and (3) an exploration of the local or national and 'internat ional' or 'transnational' dimensions of the production of biotechnolog ies and pharmaceutical therapeutics. The essay concludes with a discus sion of the limits that privilege either universal or local perspectiv es and claims to knowledge and the ethical challenges that become appa rent from this perspective.