Neuroimaging, Software, and Communication

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxiii

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2. chapterOne First Words

   • Edison Bicudo

   Pages 1-32

3. Socializing Code

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 33-33

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   2. chapterTwo ( Sharing Code: Social Mediations in Software Development ) {

      • Edison Bicudo

      Pages 35-113

   3. chapterThree ( Writing Code: Software Development and Communication ) {

      • Edison Bicudo

      Pages 115-172

4. Codifying Society

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 173-173

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   2. chapterFour ( Owning Code: Institutional Aspects of Software Development ) {

      • Edison Bicudo

      Pages 175-257

   3. chapterFive ( Using Code: The Social Diffusion of Programming Tasks ) {

      • Edison Bicudo

      Pages 259-350

   4. chapterSix Final Words

      • Edison Bicudo

      Pages 351-372

5. Back Matter

   Pages 373-426

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This book analyses the social contexts in which programmers design neuroimaging software used in brain studies. It shows that in the same way people engage in everyday communication, programmers are involved in a series of communicative processes to realize the negotiations and discussions generated by software development. In this way, highly technical activities such as computer code writing are also underpinned by values, preferences, and power relations.


At the same time, the book sheds new light on scientists’ increasing dependence on software. On the one hand, many scientific tasks can no longer be performed without the help of computational technologies. On the other hand, most scientists have only superficial computing knowledge. As a result, inequalities emerge whereby some scientists take the most strategic methodological decisions whereas other scientists can only rely on the technical help provided by user-friendly computer applications.

• software development
• neuroimaging
• source code
• open source
• communicative actions
• globalization

• School of Global Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK

  Edison Bicudo

Edison Bicudo is a sociologist and geographer. For over twenty years, he has studied the social and geographical implications of biomedical technologies. In 2012 he completed his PhD in International Politics at King’s College London. In 2014 he published his first book, Pharmaceutical Research, Democracy and Conspiracy.

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