Wen-Ching Sung

Wen-Ching Sung is an Assistant Professor in the Institute for History & Philosophy of Science & Technology, with a cross-appointment in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of East Asian Studies. Her research areas include medical anthropology and anthropology of science. Dr. Sung is currently working on a monograph about bioscience in China, focusing on the subjectivity of Chinese scientists in the context of post-Mao society, capitalism, and international collaboration on “big science.” Her next major project concerns traditional medicine in the modern world. Specifically, she will analyze the cultivation and global commercialization of the “authentic” Chinese herbal medicine, and will take it as a window to explore the interactions between the body, medical systems, culture, and the environment.

In addition, she has an ongoing research project regarding an intersection between information technology and reproductive technology: online patient groups. She examines the participation and discussions at a world-wide-web forum for infertile couples in Taiwan, from which she explores how the Internet has affected the distribution of (canonical and non-canonical) medical knowledge, bodily discipline, and the construction of “hope” for patients.