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The DNA Mystique: The Gene as a Cultural Icon
Dorothy Nelkin and M. Susan Lindee
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"The DNA Mystique is a wake-up call to all who would dismiss America's love affair with 'the gene' as a merely eccentric obsession."
--In These Times
"Nelkin and Lindee are to be warmly congratulated for opening up this intriguing field [of genetics in popular culture] to further study."
--Nature
The DNA Mystique suggests that the gene in popular culture draws on scientific ideas but is not constrained by the technical definition of the gene as a section of DNA that codes for a protein. In highlighting DNA as it appears in soap operas, comic books, advertising, and other expressions of mass culture, the authors propose that these domains provide critical insights into science itself.
With a new introduction and conclusion, this edition will continue to be an engaging, accessible, and provocative text for the sociology, anthropology, and bioethics classroom, as well as stimulating reading for those generally interested in science and culture.
--In These Times
"Nelkin and Lindee are to be warmly congratulated for opening up this intriguing field [of genetics in popular culture] to further study."
--Nature
The DNA Mystique suggests that the gene in popular culture draws on scientific ideas but is not constrained by the technical definition of the gene as a section of DNA that codes for a protein. In highlighting DNA as it appears in soap operas, comic books, advertising, and other expressions of mass culture, the authors propose that these domains provide critical insights into science itself.
With a new introduction and conclusion, this edition will continue to be an engaging, accessible, and provocative text for the sociology, anthropology, and bioethics classroom, as well as stimulating reading for those generally interested in science and culture.
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Cover
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Title
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Copyright
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Dedication
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Acknowledgements
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Contents
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Preface to the Second Edition
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Preface to the First Edition
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1. The Powers of the Gene
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2. The Eugenic Gene
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3. Sacred DNA
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4. The Molecular Family
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5. Elvis's DNA
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6. Creating Natural Distinctions
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7. Absolution: Locating Responsibility and Blame
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8. Genetic Essentialism Applied
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9. Genetic Futurism
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10. The Supergene
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Notes
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Sources
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Index
Citable Link
Published: 2004
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
- 978-0-472-03004-0 (paper)
- 978-0-472-02507-7 (ebook)