Space, time and nature: exploring the public reception of biotechnology in New Zealand

Abstract

Nature is widely acknowledged to be a fluid, contested, material-semiotic construction, historically and spatially grounded. This is certainly the case for New Zealand, where a number of constructions of nature have been mobilized as a means to make judgements over the viability of particular biotechnologies that have entered into public debate. In this paper, we utilize Mikhail Bakhtin's space-time matrix, the chronotope, to explore a series of complementary nature-narratives that have been mobilized as a moral basis for making judgments over the acceptability of a series of exemplars of novel biotechnologies that were presented to participants in eleven national focus groups. We argue that it is the specific space-time manipulations that characterize these sometimes overlapping narrative constructions that are used to justify reactions to novel biotechnologies.

Process versus product: which determines consumer demand for genetically modified apples?*

“…These results suggest that greater antioxidant content in apples is perceived as valuable, but not if it is achieved with GM technology. One possible explanation is that antioxidants are perceived as a natural health benefit, and that GM somehow 'corrupts' its naturalness (Coyle et al 2003). Another explanation is that those respondents who value increased antioxidants also are reluctant to consume GMF.…”

Controversial science-based technology public attitude formation and regulation in comparative perspective: The state construction of policy alternatives in Asia

“…The reception of controversial technologies like biotechnology in general [18,36,73], in the medical field [7,10,31], and of genetically modified foods in particular [26], has highlighted the need to better understand public opinion and attitude formation among consumers and observers of new products and processes. However the models which currently exist to explain public attitude formation towards controversial technologies are overly behavioural and societally-centric and fail to adequately address the ability of state actors in many countries to successfully articulate or direct public opinion.…”

Framing Synthetic Biology

“…. (p. 814) Similarly, Coyle (2005) describes "wise nature," "traditional nature," and "pure nature" images. A key point is that this type of conception of nature does not simply describe people's general liking or positivity toward nature but, rather, reflects an idealization of "Nature" as a distinct entity possessing intrinsic value, with all that that entails about the appropriateness of manipulating it or threatening its integrity.…”

“…is focused on applications involving animals and human genetic material" (p. 117). Indeed, this "unnaturalness" objection is a recurrent theme in focus group research (Coyle & Fairweather, 2005;Knight, 2009;Shaw, 2002) and media coverage (Hansen, 2006) on genetic biotechnologies.…”