How scientific fields and collaborations are formed is important to understand because they define problems, acceptable products, and methodologies, and shape career trajectories. Most studies of field formation are longtitudinal, investigate collaboration separately from fields, and do not investigate the role of knowledge content. This study addresses those gaps by investigating the role of gendered knowledge in the twin processes of scientific field formation and collaborations. To do so, a social worlds analysis of the gendered nature of the formation of the biomedical field of onconviruses is undertaken. A multi-sited qualitative research design is employed, including participant observation at key scientific meetings; analysis of documents, products, and other texts distributed through product placement; and in-depth interviews with key scientists, technology developers, and leaders of organizations central to STI-cancer science.The research contributes to science and technology studies theories of field formation, collaboration, and the relationship between gender and scientific knowledge.
This broader social implication of this research is that it sheds light on how scientists and publics understand the complexities of human cancers and the current scientific approaches to cancer causation theories and cancer prevention technology. It does so by investigating the putative causative role of sexually transmitted viral infectious agents in the development of human cancers. The most well known case is the human papillomavirus (HPV), which gained public awareness with its vaccine technology, approved immunization guideline, and direct-to-consumer advertising campaign. This case and five other "oncoviruses" (HBV, HCV, HHV-8, EBV, and HTLV-1) constitute an expanding conceptualization of cancer causation and field of biomedical scientific research. By illuminating how scientists and industry have come to see these viruses as a cause of cancer, and distributing research results through publications and presentions, publics, policymakers, and scientists have more information about how to address an important social and scientific issue.
