Transparent or Invisible Technology in the Narratives of Brain Stimulator Recipients

• In Event: 564 - Regular Session. Sociology of the Body. Meaning Making and the Social Body

Abstract

In this paper, I collect and analyze interview data from people treated with brain implants in order to reduce the symptoms of movement disorders like Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor. In contrast to much sociology of the body, I examine the narrative construction of transparency and invisibility in patient narratives, illustrating the work of creating “normal” body postures and body control. This paper uses the concept of transparency from science and technology studies to describe and theorize interactions between people and the implanted medical devices that are increasingly common in contemporary body projects and health care.

Author

• Daniel Ray Morrison, Pepperdine University