Between 1965 and 1979 ideas about the meaning of the 47 XYY chromosome complement shifted considerably. Moreover, both the question of the significance of the extra Y, and research intended to resolve that question, have repeatedly been the subject of controversy. This thesis is an attempt to examine these controversies from the standpoint of the sociology of scientific knowledge. It is argued that the development of knowledge about the chromosome abnormality was shaped by: 1) Features of the organisation of the biomedical and behavioural science communities in Britain and the USA during the 1960's and 1970's - in particular, the pattern of competitive pressures that structured the activities of individuals as members of disciplines, institutions, and professions in their struggles over the accumulation of symbolic capital. 2) The availability of "common-sense" schemas, rhetorical resources, and scientific traditions that facilitated the conceptualisation and presentation of research results in such a way as to appear to bear upon the quest ions of a biological (and therefore "natural") basis for masculinity, aggression, and criminality. 3) The politics of crime and concern with crime in the period - and the way in which rising anxiety about the decline of law and order created an opportunity for particular groups of scientists to make use of these rhetorical resources in order to advance their claims of technical and professional authority.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:567902 |
| Date | January 1983 |
| Creators | Green, Jeremy |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Page generated in 0.0084 seconds