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Society today seems obsessed with the human brain. It has become a crucial component in our culture, for people's attitudes to themselves and others, and for how they should plan their lives. Modern neuroscience has a great impact on society, not only on medical treatments but also on existential questions such as how human consciousness can be defined, where feelings arise, when life ends and death occurs.Such cultural and existential questions are addressed in this anthology. Its authors suggest perspectives and concepts to understand neuroscience, and critically scrutinize its various manifestations in society. Interpreting the brain in society. Cultural reflections on neuroscientific practices is written by scholars from art history, visual studies, and ethnology involved in a research collaboration with medical and natural scientists doing basic research on Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. There is also an afterword by one of these neuroscientists.Kristofer Hansson is Associate professor of ethnology and Researcher at the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, Lund University, Sweden.Markus Idvall is Associate professor of ethnology and Senior lecturer at the Department of Arts and Cultural Sciences, Lund University, Sweden.

Why is menstruation so often considered a dirty phenomenon, in both material and symbolic terms? How do ideas and realities of menstrual pollution affect the lived experience of menstruation and everyday hygiene practices? Josefin Persdotter's study Menstrual Dirt explores how notions and materializations of pollution are enacted in different menstrual practices: in what products to use, in how to get rid of menstrual waste, how to clean reusables, wash the body and stained underwear, scrub toilets and avoid unwanted smells. It unpacks taken for granted aspects of menstrual life and reveals persistent gendered inequalities in relation to menstruation. In focus are two specific menstrual technologies: the disposable pad and the reusable cup. The author shows how the promotion and use of these everyday technologies (re)produce menstruation as something dirty, symbolically and as a lived experience. Theoretical tools from the sociology of dirt, science and technology studies and anthropology are used to make sense of a wealth of fascinating interview and documentary material. The study makes visible how menstrual pollution beliefs are (re)shaped in Sweden, a country with a comparatively high level of gender equality and menstrual activism. The results have implications in a wider context and for policies and technological changes to make menstruating into a less laborious and less negatively felt experience. Josefin Persdotter is a sociologist and an internationally known scholar within Critical Menstrual Studies. She is also an acclaimed menstrual artist and activist.