How did you first get interested in sociology?
I have always been a curious person interested in finding out more about how things work. Initially, this led me down a science-focused path and I ended up doing a bachelor’s degree in health sciences and a master’s degree in epidemiology. My MSc thesis was about the process of withdrawal of life-support technology to facilitate expected deaths in the intensive care unit (in other words, the process of “pulling the plug”). The more I studied this topic, the more it became apparent that there were questions that could not be answered by quantitative measurement alone. For example, I wanted to know why so many people ended up dying amidst invasive technologies in the intensive care unit despite many people, including patients in the intensive care unit, expressing a preference for a different type of death. I applied to do a PhD in sociology to learn new perspectives and new methodological approaches that I could use to study medical processes of death and dying that would take me beyond what I had learned in science. It was very challenging to start in a program so far outside of what I knew, but I became hooked when I realized how the language and concepts of sociology facilitated a new viewpoint on the world and a deeper analysis of so many issues.
Photo of Amanda van Beinum
What are your main areas of interest and how did you move into this area of social inquiry?
I continue to be interested in using social science approaches to study health, healthcare, and medicine. Having spent several years working and doing research in the intensive care unit, one of my current areas of focus is on the development and use of technologies as part of medical practice. At present, my work focuses on neurotechnologies, electronic devices which interface with the brain either directly or indirectly. These devices are being tested for various clinical and commercial applications ranging from treatment of mental illness to assisting people with paralysis to trans-humanist techno-enhancement. The overarching question driving my research across several different projects is to figure out whether and how neurotechnology can promote human empowerment without contributing to widening inequalities in health and social status.
Another major area of focus which emerges from my work in critical posthuman theory is a project on the use of antibiotics in agriculture. This interdisciplinary project examines biosecurity practices on farms and their impacts on planetary health, as well as potential policy implications of re-imagining antibiotic use in farming through a relational ecology lens. The overarching question driving this research work is both theoretical and practical and centers around understand how critical posthumanism can be used to drive material changes in the applied world of agriculture.
How do you work and get writing done amidst competing responsibilities as an academic who teaches and undertakes service work, as well as scholarship?
I have built a habit of writing every work day for at least 30 minutes. I start my most productive period of the day with writing, which ensures that I make time for this important part of my work with a clear and focused mind. I set and track quarterly goals, which helps me to remain focused on larger projects instead of getting buried in smaller tasks. I am also adamant about the need for rest. Combined with my family caregiving responsibilities this means that I try not to work on weekends, and I take regular dedicated vacation time to disconnect. I have found that I can do more in 2 hours when I am well rested and have clear goals than with a full day when I am burnt out and lacking direction.
I like to think about big writing projects like making a sculpture, where the shape and the details only come together as part of the process of working with the material. There are so many ways to communicate ideas, and it is very satisfying when the final figure of a project becomes clear. Thinking about writing as shaping a tangible, applied contribution to a better understanding of the world makes it into a very satisfying as well as creative activity.
What do you like about being a sociologist — and an interdisciplinary scholar?
My favorite thing about being a sociologist and interdisciplinary scholar is that pretty much any topic can be studied. Everything in the world, from farming to medical technologies, interacts with social relations in a multitude of ways. Some of these have been well studied in the social science world and new things can be understood by bringing them into conversation with ongoing work in science and medicine. Sometimes issues are just emerging in the science and medicine world and haven’t yet been discussed in the social sciences – again, bringing these two fields into contact can reveal a whole new area of questions and social implications. My work has taken me into laboratories, board rooms, grazing fields, medical clinics, conference halls, hospital wards, milking parlours, and of course many classrooms. I love having a job that allows me to continue to learn about the world so broadly, to work with many different types of people, and to share interdisciplinary insights with others.
What advice would you give to early career academics/PhD students?
My advice would be to focus on skills development. Skills like developing a research project, collecting and analyzing data, writing, presenting results, working with others, and teaching are valuable across different sectors and will allow you to pivot to different opportunities that arise. The specific sociological skills of being able understand and analyze the world through social relations, characteristics, and distributions of power will be useful in many different places. Finding work in academia requires flexibility – you may end up working in a department or academic-adjacent position which requires your skills more so than your content expertise. This flexibility not only opens doors to diverse career paths but also allows you to find meaningful and rewarding work that draws on the core strengths of sociological inquiry—making a real impact by understanding and engaging with the complexities of society.