Collective Biologies: Healing Social Ills through Sexual Health Research in Mexico

Emily A. Wentzell's book "Collective Biologies" explores how individual health behaviors can aid groups facing crisis and change, using sexual health research participation as a case study. She demonstrates that medical research is a daily life arena that people can use to enhance collective health and well-being, challenging the common regulatory view of medical research participation as an individual pursuit.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 05 January 2022
Publisher: Duke University Press

In her groundbreaking work, Collective Biologies, Emily A. Wentzell delves into the captivating realm of sexual health research participation, utilizing it as a case study to explore the profound impact of individual health behaviors on groups navigating crisis and transformation. Through meticulous analysis, Wentzell uncovers the intricate experiences of couples participating in a longitudinal study on the occurrence of HPV in men in Cuernavaca, Mexico. By delving into categories such as family and race, she sheds light on how these couples' experiences reflected Mexican cultural understandings of group belonging. For instance, partners drew upon collective rather than individualistic notions of biology to hold onto the hope that men's engagement in HPV research would contribute to the well-being of diverse groups, ranging from church congregations to the Mexican populace as a whole.

Wentzell's work challenges the conventional regulatory perspective of medical research participation, emphasizing that it is not merely an individual pursuit. Instead, she presents medical research as a dynamic and interconnected realm of daily life, where individuals can harness their actions to address embodied societal problems. By identifying forms of group interconnectedness as "collective biologies," Wentzell embarks on a quest to uncover how people can utilize their own endeavors to promote collective health and well-being, a dimension that often gets overshadowed by the neoliberal emphasis on individuality.

Through her insightful exploration, Wentzell unveils the potential for individuals to actively contribute to the collective well-being of their communities, transcending the boundaries of individualism. Her work offers valuable insights into the interconnectedness of society and the role that individuals can play in shaping a more harmonious and resilient collective future.

Weight: 340g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478014881