This talk has been cancelled.
“The Biopolitics of the ‘Previvor’ Movement: Gender, Race, Class, & Sexuality”
In this lecture, I examine the biopolitics of the “previvor” movement. Previvors seek genetic testing, find that they exhibit genetic mutations that predispose them to cancer, and choose to undergo preventative interventions. Research has highlighted how these individuals think about the label “previvor,” how they navigate family planning, and how they relate to their “high-risk” pre-disease status. However, no studies have highlighted intersectional dynamics within the community, considered how this identity is lived from the perspective of a previvor, nor asked what changes at the structural level could help previvors as they navigate genetic testing, the health insurance industry, and other medicalized institutions. This research fills in these gaps by analyzing: how previvors frame their choices (including to be genetically tested in the first place), navigate the process or plan to, and understand the notion of “prevention”; what effects being a previvor has had on their gender and sexuality; what role community support provides them; and what medical institutions could do to better serve them.
Alyson K. Spurgas, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology and affiliated faculty in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Trinity College Email: alyson.spurgas@trincoll.edu Website: alysonkspurgas.com
ZOOM LINK: https://yorku.zoom.us/j/96090576908