Biohacking, Bodies and Do-It-Yourself
The Cultural Politics of Hacking Life Itself
From self-help books and nootropics, to self-tracking and home health tests, to the tinkering with technology and biological particles – biohacking brings biology, medicine, and the material foundation of life into the sphere of »do-it-yourself«. This trend has the potential to fundamentally change people's relationship with their bodies and biology but it also creates new cultural narratives of responsibility, authority, and differentiation. Covering a broad range of examples, this book explores practices and representations of biohacking in popular culture, discussing their ambiguous position between empowerment and requirement, promise and prescription.
Overview Chapters
-
Frontmatter
Seiten 1 - 4 -
Contents
Seiten 5 - 6 -
Preface: Amidst a Global Pandemic
Seiten 7 - 14 -
PART I: INTRODUCTIONS
1 Introduction: Biotechnologies, Bodies and Biomakers
Seiten 17 - 32 -
2 Biology and Culture – an Overview of the Field
Seiten 33 - 72 -
PART II: BACKGROUND
3 The Promise of Small Things – The Cultural Presence of (Molecular) Biology
Seiten 75 - 96 -
4 With my Own two Hands – Tracing DIY from Individualism to Maker Culture
Seiten 97 - 126 -
PART III: 'HACKING' LIFE ITSELF
5 'Hacking' Life Itself – In Pursuit of a Definition
Seiten 129 - 136 -
6 -U+2013-# A Layperson's Guide to Self-Enhancement
Seiten 137 - 154 -
7 A Pill for Every Ill – Drugs and Supplements
Seiten 155 - 174 -
8 Test Yourself – Making the Invisible Visible
Seiten 175 - 196 -
9 Homo Technologicus? – The Technological Self, Inside Out
Seiten 197 - 216 -
10 "The Human Need to Fiddle" – Tinkering with Technology
Seiten 217 - 238 -
PART IV: REFLECTIONS
11 Discussing DIY
Seiten 241 - 280 -
12 Conclusion: Between Politics and Promise
Seiten 281 - 290 -
Works Cited
Seiten 291 - 314
13 December 2021, 314 pages
ISBN: 978-3-8394-6004-7
File size: 2.33 MB