SOCIAL STUDIES OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE AND PRACTICE IN CONTEMPORARY RUSSIA

Abstract

This is an overview of the works of Russian social researchers working in the field of biomedical science and practice. The author shows key concepts used to analyze the field, like medicalisaton and technologization of medical care, crisis of trust, social inequality in access to healthcare etc., as well as theoretical orientations of the researchers, like feminism, neo-Weberian approach in sociology of professions, phenomenology, science and technology studies. The realm of medical science and practice is still poorly studied in Russia, to some extent because of the difficulties related to ‘entering’ the field.