Final Report Summary - RISKY BRAINS (The Neurobiology of Aggression and Violent Behaviour and Its Social Implications)
Since the 1990s, neuroscientists have made fundamental progress in the study of violence and aggression. Advances in the neurosciences and the development of new biotechnologies have helped to elucidate genetic variations and neural correlates of anti-social behaviour such as polymorphisms in the MAOA gene, alterations in serotonin activity, or dysfunctions in the neural circuitry of emotion regulation. This research may help to identify potentially risky individuals even before they show any anti-social behaviour and, therefore, promises to revolutionize prevention and intervention programmes. Despite the undeniable societal relevance and importance of this topic, there are only very few social science studies that investigate the neurobiology of aggression and violence. No systematic, sociological analysis of neurobiological research on anti-social behaviour, its social framing, or its manifold social and political implications existed.
Risky Brains provided the first comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the neurobiology of violence and aggressive behaviour from a social science perspective. The key objective was to analyse how violence and aggression are studied in the neurosciences, and to outline the social and political implications associated with this research. With its interdisciplinary focus at the intersection of the neurosciences and the social sciences, the project opened up new perspectives in the study of violent and aggressive behaviour that transgress traditional disciplinary boundaries. It made an important contribution to the theoretical reflection of science and technology in society and also inform future neurobiological research.
In total the project had six objectives, all of which have been achieved:
1. map out the research landscape on neurobiological approaches to violence and aggression in humans and provide a detailed overview of the different research paradigms.
2. identify problems regarding the operationalization of the concepts of violence and aggression in specific case studies.
3. inform neurobiological research and provide suggestions for future research and research design.
4. analyse the social, political, ethical and legal implications of neurobiological research projects on anti-social behaviour.
5. contribute to the theoretical debate on biotechnological innovations and their implications, and on social theory in general.
6. develop recommendations for the governance and research ethics relating to neurobiological approaches to violence and aggression and their social implications.
Methodologically, Risky Brains was guided by the interpretative, ethnographic approach to neuroscience. It moved beyond mere field notes and interview transcripts to include discourses of all kinds. It was designed as a “multisite research” project within a grounded theory framework, using interviews, ethnographic, historical and/or other discursive materials. In total, more than 30 interviews with experts in the field have been carried out. Other materials included in the analysis consists of grand proposals, research designs, field notes from participant observations, scientific literature etc.
Concerning the theoretical approach, the proposed project is situated at the interface of three very influential contemporary debates in the social sciences. It was informed by, and engaged with, the theoretical reflection of biotechnological innovations and its social and political implications in today’s society, especially the ongoing discussions on (1) geneticization, (2) biological citizenship, (3) biomedicalization.
The key result of the project is that is shows, not only that but how neuroscientific research reaffirms and reproduce categories of social inequality such as gender, race and class that is aims to overcome in the study of violence and aggression.
The project was hosted be two distinguished Professors in the field of Social Theory and the Social Studies of Science and (Bio-)Technology at two world-leading universities in the USA and Germany, Prof. Troy Duster at the University of California, Berkeley and Prof. Urs Stäheli at the Universität Hamburg.
Contact details:
Professor Torsten Heinemann
RWTH Aachen University
Institute of Sociology
Eilfschornsteinstr. 7
52062 Aachen
Email: theinemann@soziologie.rwth-aachen.de
Risky Brains provided the first comprehensive overview and critical analysis of the neurobiology of violence and aggressive behaviour from a social science perspective. The key objective was to analyse how violence and aggression are studied in the neurosciences, and to outline the social and political implications associated with this research. With its interdisciplinary focus at the intersection of the neurosciences and the social sciences, the project opened up new perspectives in the study of violent and aggressive behaviour that transgress traditional disciplinary boundaries. It made an important contribution to the theoretical reflection of science and technology in society and also inform future neurobiological research.
In total the project had six objectives, all of which have been achieved:
1. map out the research landscape on neurobiological approaches to violence and aggression in humans and provide a detailed overview of the different research paradigms.
2. identify problems regarding the operationalization of the concepts of violence and aggression in specific case studies.
3. inform neurobiological research and provide suggestions for future research and research design.
4. analyse the social, political, ethical and legal implications of neurobiological research projects on anti-social behaviour.
5. contribute to the theoretical debate on biotechnological innovations and their implications, and on social theory in general.
6. develop recommendations for the governance and research ethics relating to neurobiological approaches to violence and aggression and their social implications.
Methodologically, Risky Brains was guided by the interpretative, ethnographic approach to neuroscience. It moved beyond mere field notes and interview transcripts to include discourses of all kinds. It was designed as a “multisite research” project within a grounded theory framework, using interviews, ethnographic, historical and/or other discursive materials. In total, more than 30 interviews with experts in the field have been carried out. Other materials included in the analysis consists of grand proposals, research designs, field notes from participant observations, scientific literature etc.
Concerning the theoretical approach, the proposed project is situated at the interface of three very influential contemporary debates in the social sciences. It was informed by, and engaged with, the theoretical reflection of biotechnological innovations and its social and political implications in today’s society, especially the ongoing discussions on (1) geneticization, (2) biological citizenship, (3) biomedicalization.
The key result of the project is that is shows, not only that but how neuroscientific research reaffirms and reproduce categories of social inequality such as gender, race and class that is aims to overcome in the study of violence and aggression.
The project was hosted be two distinguished Professors in the field of Social Theory and the Social Studies of Science and (Bio-)Technology at two world-leading universities in the USA and Germany, Prof. Troy Duster at the University of California, Berkeley and Prof. Urs Stäheli at the Universität Hamburg.
Contact details:
Professor Torsten Heinemann
RWTH Aachen University
Institute of Sociology
Eilfschornsteinstr. 7
52062 Aachen
Email: theinemann@soziologie.rwth-aachen.de