Science and Religio-Culture. Investigating Identity Constructions in the Field of Stem-Cell Research in Germany and the US

• Applicant: Dr. Silke Gülker
• Subject Area: Empirical Social Research
• Term: from 2013 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 235080283

The project asks whether scientific work is influenced by the religio-cultural backgrounds of the researchers, and, if so, how. Besides the individual religiosity, the term religio-culture also emphasizes the implicit acceptance of religio-cultural institutions in the course of one's biography. Institution here means habits that became norms. The question will be investigated in the field of stem-cell research in Germany and the US. Based on a combination of biographical interviews and participant observation, the project analyzes 1) how researchers anticipate regulations that are shaped by religio-cultural institutions within their scientific work, 2) whether and how researchers recall religio-cultural institutions that have shaped them in the course of their biography while communicating with their colleagues, or 3) while explaining the unexplained. With this research question, the project seeks to fill one of the central research gaps in science studies. The discipline aims to investigate the social embeddedness of scientific knowledge production. However, potential cultural differences in the production of knowledge have thus far been underestimated, while scientific communities are seen as homogeneous entities. This project adopts a contrasting approach by focusing on the biographies of the researcher and their potential influence on the process of investigation. With this perspective, the project re-examines the importance of religion in the internationally connected knowledge societies of today, as well as the process of scientific knowledge production.The field of stem-cell research is particular appropriate because two complete contrasting hypotheses are plausible. On the one hand, it is a highly specialized field within a well-established discipline of natural science and, thus, one could expect a high degree of homogeneity and closure against nonscientific influences. On the other hand, the history of science has shown numerous examples of how religio-culture has shaped the field of medical research. Today, there are numerous ethical and moral debates about stem-cell research in the public sphere; researchers are challenged to deal with those issues.Germany and the US are doubly contrasting cases regarding the public discourses on the one hand and the regulations governing stem-cell research on the other hand: In Germany, religion is of low importance in comparison with other countries. However, the regulations on stem-cell research are among the most restrictive in the world. In the US, by contrast, religion is of high importance, but there are few regulations on stem-cell research. Thus, there is a comparable but converse tension between research practice and the discursive environment in both countries.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants