The NeuroGenderings Network

Last updated
The NeuroGenderings Network
FormationSeptember 15, 2012;12 years ago (2012-09-15)
Founders Isabelle Dussauge and Anelis Kaiser
Founded at Uppsala, Sweden
PurposeTo critically examine neuroscientific knowledge production and to develop differentiated approaches for a more gender adequate neuroscientific research.
Fields Critical neuroscientific research into sex differences
Website Official website

The NeuroGenderings Network is an international group of researchers in neuroscience and gender studies. [1] Members of the network study how the complexities of social norms, varied life experiences, details of laboratory conditions and biology interact to affect the results of neuroscientific research. [2] Working under the label of "neurofeminism", they aim to critically analyze how the field of neuroscience operates, and to build an understanding of brain and gender that goes beyond gender essentialism while still treating the brain as fundamentally material. [3] [4] [5] Its founding was part of a period of increased interest and activity in interdisciplinary research connecting neuroscience and the social sciences. [6]

Contents

History

The group, comprising scholars who specialized in feminism, queer theory and gender studies, formed to tackle "neurosexism" [3] as defined by Cordelia Fine in her 2010 book Delusions of Gender : "uncritical biases in [neuroscientific] research and public perception, and their societal impacts on an individual, structural, and symbolic level." [7] Research can suffer from neurosexism by failing to include the social factors and expectations that shape sex differences, which possibly leads to making inferences based on flawed data.

By contrast, the network members advocate "neurofeminism", [8] aiming to critically evaluate heteronormative assumptions of contemporary brain research and examine the impact and cultural significance of neuroscientific research on society's views about gender. [3] [9] This includes placing greater emphasis on neuroplasticity rather than biological determinism. [3] [10]

Conferences

In March 2010, the first conference – NeuroGenderings: Critical Studies of the Sexed Brain – was held in Uppsala, Sweden. [11] [12] [13] Organisers Anelis Kaiser and Isabelle Dussauge described its long terms goals "to elaborate a new conceptual approach of the relation between gender and the brain, one that could help to head gender theorists and neuroscientists to an innovative interdisciplinary place, far away from social and biological determinisms but still engaging with the materiality of the brain." [14] The NeuroGenderings Network was established at this event, [3] [15] with the group's first results published in a special issue of the journal Neuroethics . [16] [17]

Further conferences have since been held on a biennial basis: [18] NeuroCultures — NeuroGenderings II, September 2012 at the University of Vienna's physics department; [11] [19] [20] [12] [21] [22] NeuroGenderings III – The First International Dissensus [23] Conference on Brain and Gender, May 2014 in Lausanne, Switzerland; [11] [24] [25] [26] and NeuroGenderings IV in March 2016, at Barnard College, New York City. [27]

Members

The members of the NeuroGenderings Network are: [28]

Bibliography

Books
Book chapters
Journal articles
Opposing publications

Below is a list of works which cause the network concern due to their "neurodeterminist notions of a ‘sexed brain’ [which] are being transported into public discourse [..] without reflecting the biases in empirical work." [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

In philosophy and neuroscience, neuroethics is the study of both the ethics of neuroscience and the neuroscience of ethics. The ethics of neuroscience concerns the ethical, legal, and social impact of neuroscience, including the ways in which neurotechnology can be used to predict or alter human behavior and "the implications of our mechanistic understanding of brain function for society... integrating neuroscientific knowledge with ethical and social thought".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Baron-Cohen</span> British psychologist and author

Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen is a British clinical psychologist and professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge. He is the director of the university's Autism Research Centre and a Fellow of Trinity College.

The empathising–systemising (E–S) theory is a controversial theory on the psychological basis of autism and male–female neurological differences originally put forward by English clinical psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen. It classifies individuals based on abilities in empathic thinking (E) and systematic thinking (S). It measures skills using an Empathy Quotient (EQ) and Systemising Quotient (SQ) and attempts to explain the social and communication symptoms in autism spectrum disorders as deficits and delays in empathy combined with intact or superior systemising.

Gender essentialism is a theory which attributes distinct, intrinsic qualities to women and men. Based in essentialism, it holds that there are certain universal, innate, biologically based features of gender that are at the root of many of the group differences observed in the behavior of men and women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cordelia Fine</span> Canadian-born British psychologist and writer

Cordelia Fine is a Canadian-born British philosopher of science, psychologist, and writer. She is a full professor in the History and Philosophy of Science programme at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Fine has written three popular science books on the topics of social cognition, neuroscience, and the popular myths of sex differences. Her latest book, Testosterone Rex, won the Royal Society Science Book Prize, 2017. She has authored several academic book chapters and numerous academic publications. Fine is also noted for coining the term 'neurosexism'.

<i>Delusions of Gender</i> 2010 book by Cordelia Fine

Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference is a 2010 book by Cordelia Fine, written to debunk the idea that men and women are hardwired with different interests. The author criticizes claimed evidence of the existence of innate biological differences between men and women's minds as being faulty and exaggerated, and while taking a position of agnosticism with respect to inherent differences relating to interest/skill in "understanding the world" versus "understanding people", reviews literature demonstrating how cultural and societal beliefs contribute to sex differences.

Rebecca M. Jordan-Young, is an American feminist scientist and gender studies scholar. Her research focuses on social medical science, sex, gender, sexuality, and epidemiology. She is an Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Barnard College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuroscience of sex differences</span> Characteristics of the brain that differentiate the male brain and the female brain

The neuroscience of sex differences is the study of characteristics that separate brains of different sexes. Psychological sex differences are thought by some to reflect the interaction of genes, hormones, and social learning on brain development throughout the lifespan. A 2021 meta-synthesis led by Lise Eliot found that sex accounted for 1% of the brain's structure or laterality, finding large group-level differences only in total brain volume. A subsequent 2021 led by Camille Michèle Williams contradicted Eliot's conclusions, finding that sex differences in total brain volume are not accounted for merely by sex differences in height and weight, and that once global brain size is taken into account, there remain numerous regional sex differences in both directions. A 2022 follow-up meta-analysis led by Alex DeCasien analyzed the studies from both Eliot and Williams, concluding that "The human brain shows highly reproducible sex differences in regional brain anatomy above and beyond sex differences in overall brain size" and that these differences are of a "small-moderate effect size." A review from 2006 and a meta-analysis from 2014 found that some evidence from brain morphology and function studies indicates that male and female brains cannot always be assumed to be identical from either a structural or functional perspective, and some brain structures are sexually dimorphic.

The International Neuroethics Society (INS) is a professional organization that studies the social, legal, ethical, and policy implications of advances in neuroscience. Its mission is to encourage and inspire research and dialogue on the responsible use of advances in brain science. The current INS President is Joseph J. Fins, MD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gina Rippon</span> Professor of cognitive neuroimaging

Gina Rippon is a British neurobiologist and feminist. She is a professor emeritus of cognitive neuroimaging at the Aston Brain Centre, Aston University, Birmingham. Rippon has also sat on the editorial board of the International Journal of Psychophysiology. In 2019, Rippon published her book, Gendered Brain: The New Neuroscience that Shatters the Myth of the Female Brain, which investigates the role of life experiences and biology in brain development.

Anelis Kaiser is professor of gender studies at MINT, University of Freiburg, Germany. She is also on the lecturer within the social psychology and social neuroscience department at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Along with Isabelle Dussauge, Kaiser was a guest editor of a special issue on Neuroscience and sex/gender of the journal Neuroethics, they also co-founded The NeuroGenderings Network together.

Giordana Grossi is a cognitive neuroscientist and professor of psychology at SUNY New Paltz, New York, and a member of The NeuroGenderings Network, a group which promotes "neurofeminism".

Robyn Bluhm, is associate professor at the Department of Philosophy and Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, as well as a member of The NeuroGenderings Network – a group which promotes "neurofeminism". She is the current joint editor of the IJFAB: International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics

Daphna Joel is an Israeli neuroscientist and advocate for "neurofeminism". She is best known for her research which claims that there is no such thing as a "male brain" or a "female brain". Joel's research has been criticized by other neuroscientists who argue that male and female brains, on average, show distinct differences and can be classified with a high level of accuracy. Joel is a member of The NeuroGenderings Network, an international group of researchers in gender studies and neuroscience. They are critical of what they call neurosexism in the scientific community. Joel has given lectures on her work in both scientific and lay conventions around the world.

Raffaella Ida Rumiati is professor of cognitive neuroscience at the International School for Advanced Studies [Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati], (SISSA), Italy. She sits on the editorial board of the journal Cognitive Neuropsychology, and is an action editor for the journal Brain and Cognition. Rumiati is also a member of the steering committee of the European Workshop on Cognitive Neuropsychology. and a member of The NeuroGenderings Network.

Deboleena Roy is professor and chair of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology at Emory University, former resident research fellow at the Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Stanford University, and a member of The NeuroGenderings Network. Previously, she was an assistant professor at San Diego State University. Starting in August 2020, she will be serving as the Senior Associate Dean of Faculty for Emory College of Arts and Sciences.

Isabelle Dussauge is a science, technology and society (STS) researcher at the Department of History of Science and Ideas, Uppsala University, Sweden and former assistant professor at the Department of Thematic Studies, Linköping University, Sweden. She is also the co-founder, with Anelis Kaiser, of The NeuroGenderings Network, and acted as guest editor, again with Kaiser on the journal Neuroethics.

Sigrid Schmitz is a visiting professor at the Humboldt University of Berlin, and was formerly the chair of gender studies and scientific head of the Gender Research Office [Referat Genderforschung] at the University of Vienna. Schmitz is also a member of The NeuroGenderings Network.

Neurosexism is an alleged bias in the neuroscience of sex differences towards reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes. The term was coined by feminist scholar Cordelia Fine in a 2008 article and popularised by her 2010 book Delusions of Gender. The concept is now widely used by critics of the neuroscience of sex differences in neuroscience, neuroethics and philosophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Vidal</span> French neurobiologist

Catherine Vidal is a French neurobiologist, feminist and essayist. She is the author of popular science books in the field of cognitive differences between genders.

References

  1. ↑ Breit, Lisa (1 March 2016). "Genderforschung: Das Soziale an der Biologie". Der Standard (in German). Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  2. ↑ Krichmayr, Karin (24 May 2017). "Geschlechterunterschiede: Das Spiel der Hormone im Hirn". Der Standard (in German). Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Schmitz, Sigrid; Höppner, Grit (25 July 2014). "Neurofeminism and feminist neurosciences: a critical review of contemporary brain research". Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 8 (article 546): 546. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00546 . PMC   4111126 . PMID   25120450.
  4. ↑ Dussauge, Isabelle; Anelis, Anelis (13 April 2015). "Feminist and queer repoliticizations of the brain". EspacesTemps.net | Brain Mind Society. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
  5. ↑ Roy, Deboleena (Spring 2016). "Neuroscience and feminist theory: a new directions essay". Signs . 41 (3): 531–552. doi:10.1086/684266. S2CID   146995854.
  6. ↑ Callard, F.; Fitzgerald, D. (2016). "Meeting People is Easy: The Pragmatics of Interdisciplinary Collaboration". Rethinking Interdisciplinarity across the Social Sciences and Neurosciences. Palgrave Macmillan. OCLC   1014459177.
  7. ↑ Fine, Cordelia (2010). Delusions of gender: how our minds, society, and neurosexism create difference. New York: W.W. Norton. ISBN   9780393068382.
  8. ↑ Bluhm, Robyn; Maibom, Heidi Lene; Jaap Jacobson, Anne (2012). Neurofeminism: issues at the intersection of feminist theory and cognitive science. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN   9780230296732.
  9. ↑ Kaiser, Anelis; Dussauge, Isabelle (2014). "Re-queering the brain". In Bluhm, Robyn; Jacobson, Anne Jaap; Maibom, Heidi Lene (eds.). Neurofeminism: issues at the intersection of feminist theory and cognitive science. Hampshire New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 121–144. ISBN   9781349333929.
  10. ↑ Vidal, Catherine (December 2012). "The sexed brain: between science and ideology". Neuroethics. 5 (3): 295–303. doi:10.1007/s12152-011-9121-9. S2CID   145584327.
  11. 1 2 3 Kraus, Cynthia (2016), "What is the feminist critique of neuroscience? A call for dissensus studies (notes to page 100)", in de Vos, Jan; Pluth, Ed, eds. (2016). Neuroscience and critique: exploring the limits of the neurological turn. London New York: Routledge. p. 113. ISBN   9781138887350.
  12. 1 2 MacLellan, Lila (27 August 2017). "The biggest myth about our brains is that they are "male" or "female"". Quartz . Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  13. ↑ Engh Førde, Kristin (30 April 2010). "Tverrfaglig forståelse". Forskning.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "NeuroGenderings: Critical Studies of the Sexed Brain". genna.gender.uu.se. Uppsala University, Sweden. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  15. ↑ "The body/Embodiment group". genna.gender.uu.se. Uppsala University, Sweden. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  16. ↑ Kaiser, Anelis; Dussauge, Isabelle (December 2012). "Neuroscience and sex/gender". Neuroethics. 5 (3): 211–216. doi: 10.1007/s12152-012-9165-5 .
  17. ↑ Wills, Ben (2017-03-14). "What is Feminist Neuroethics About?". The Neuroethics Blog. Emory University . Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  18. ↑ Chaperon, Sylvie (15 May 2018). "Neuroféminisme contre neurosexisme". Libération (in French). Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  19. ↑ "Welcome to NeuroCultures - NeuroGenderings II". univie.ac.at. University of Vienna . Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  20. ↑ Gupta, Kristina (2 October 2012). "A Dispatch from the NeuroGenderings II Conference". The Neuroethics Blog. Emory University . Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  21. ↑ Conrads, Judith (2013). "NeuroCultures – NeuroGenderings II. Konferenz vom 13. bis 15. September 2012 an der Universität Wien". Gender: Zeitschrift für Geschlect, Kultur und Gesellschaft. 5 (1): 138–143.
  22. ↑ Dachs, Augusta (2012-09-12). "Lesen aus der Gehirnstruktur". Der Standard (in German). Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  23. ↑ A term expressing the idea that disagreement and social conflict are necessary parts of the discovery process: Fitzgerald, Des (2016-08-01). "Book review: Neuroscience and Critique: Exploring the Limits of the Neurological Turn". History of the Human Sciences.
  24. ↑ genrepsy (5 May 2014). ""NeuroGenderings III – The 1st international Dissensus Conference on brain and gender," Lausanne, 8-10 May 2014". genrepsy.hypotheses.org. Genre et psychiatrie. doi:10.58079/oz8n . Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  25. ↑ Pulver, Jonas (5 May 2014). "Le sexe du cerveau ne fait pas consensus". Le Temps (in French). Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  26. ↑ "NeuroGenderings III Conference Recap" (PDF). International Neuroethics Society Newsletter. International Neuroethics Society. September 2014. Retrieved 2018-10-27.
  27. ↑ "2016 Seed Grants". Center for Science and Society. Columbia University . Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  28. ↑ "Members". neurogenderings.wordpress.com. The NeuroGenderings Network. 2014-10-21. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  29. ↑ Schmitz, Sigrid; Höppner, Grit (2014-07-25). "Neurofeminism and feminist neurosciences: A critical review of contemporary brain research". Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 8: 546. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00546 . ISSN   1662-5161. PMC   4111126 . PMID   25120450.
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