Kristina Humphreys: "Single-concept sequencing: Deciphering the conceptual and metaphorical language networks of the immune system"
- Datum: 5 november 2024, kl. 13.15–15.00
- Plats: Engelska parken, 6-3025 (Rausingrummet)
- Typ: Seminarium
- Arrangör: Institutionen för idéhistoria
- Kontaktperson: Ylva Söderfeldt
Högre seminariet i idéhistoria
Kristina Humphreys, PhD student, Department of Medical Cell Biology and the Centre for Medical Humanities Graduate Programme
Preliminär beskrivning:
The language that scientists use to describe their study objects, including the use of certain metaphors, has been shown to influence perception and interpretation of results. The immune system in particular has historically often been described metaphorically in terms of defense, war, and territory. Yet, current research emphasizes the variety and diversity of functions that immune cells exert to repair tissue and support homeostasis. For example, immune cells are critical for development, growth, and clearing debris via phagocytosis, as well as having specific functions of regeneration of some tissues. This means that the understanding of the immune system and immune cells is undergoing a radical shift away from previous narrow views that focused merely on defense against infections. This study explores whether the shifting perspectives on the immune system are reflected in the concepts and language used to describe immune cell functions through a review of approximately 180 315+ abstracts in four influential journals in the field between approximately 1940-2024. The addition of knowledge graphs of abstracts from 3 journals also offers a larger-scale analysis of concept networks.