Medical research, AIDS, and divisions at global level: a proposal for anthropology of science

Abstract

This article outlines a proposal for social study of the scientific production process, starting from a series of contemporary problems that are global: the AIDS epidemic and its numerous social implications; difficulties that medicine faces in its attempts to respond efficiently and rapidly to the epidemic; the resulting public scrutiny of medical research; and society's impact on the scientific research itself. The discussion includes contemporary theories about the social construction of science; the literature on this will be reviewed soon. Medical research into AIDS comes between immunology and research into the viral origins of cancer - this has led to the definition of human retroviruses, including the identification of HIV as the infectious agent linked to AIDS. The author refers to questions and difficulties that are raised by this epidemic, and puts them in the context of wider questions including: the limits of the current paradigm of medical research; contradictions in the international political system; revision of the terms of the epidemiological transition associated with development; and the stimulating role played by alliances between distinct social partners in creating new ideas and research strategies. The author develops this last aspect by suggesting consequences that might arise from the globalisation of the fight against the epidemic. One result might be the promotion of partnerships between places that are central and peripheral in the global system, in order to intensify the exchange of specialised knowledge about infections and epidemics, and the innovation that stems from this kind of collaborative activity.