ABSTRACT
A key question of contemporary human molecular genetics involves determining what constitutes an appropriate reference population for the purposes of drug development and disease prevention. The boundary-making of such populations raises both theoretical and empirical questions to be examined in specific social contexts. The idea underlying the field of inquiry known as pharmacogenomics is that drug response is personal and genetics plays a part in that response. There are several reasons to pay special attention to the development of postgenomic medicine in Asia. Many social scientists have explored the concept of “othering” or “the other,” which is said to have been coined by philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Berenson believes that the determining factor of one’s self-consciousness lies in whether one has recognition for the “being of the Other.” Thailand’s involvement in genomic research is also momentous. Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines are also in the developing stages.
