ENROLLING THE CORE SET - THE CASE OF THE ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION CONTROVERSY

The notion of the 'core set' usually refers to that group of scientists involved in the eventual resolution of a given technical controversy. Drawing upon actor-network theory, we suggest that such core sets, especially at science/public interfaces, are, in fact, constituted from generalized agonistic sets which entail 'non-technical' issues - political, ethical, economic. Interview material with scientists who use animals in their research showed how they attempted to demarcate such a core set with their public critics. We consider how they constricted the core set by discursively demarcating the criteria for membership. These included 'rationality' and 'emotional authenticity'. Elaborating an Collins' use of 'core set', we suggest that these discourses indicate that scientists are potentially engaged in actively constituting a core set by setting out cultural criteria for membership. Contrary to the focus of actor-network theory upon 'definitive' enrolment, we found that scientists can also engage in characterizing suitable antagonists. As a supplement to both core set and enrolment, we suggest the concept of 'envelopment'.