
Bodies, Commodities, and Biotechnologies
Death, Mourning, and Scientific Desire in the Realm of Human Organ Transfer
Lesley A. Sharp(Author)
Columbia University Press
Will be published approx. on 10. October 2006
Book
Hardback
144 pages
978-0-231-13838-3 (ISBN)
Description
In the United States today, the human body defines a lucrative site of reusable parts, ranging from whole organs to minuscule and even microscopic tissues. Although the medical practices that enable the transfer of parts from one body to another most certainly relieve suffering and extend lives, they have also irrevocably altered perceptions of the cultural values assigned to the body. Organ transfer is rich terrain to investigate-especially in the American context, where sophisticated technological interventions have significantly shaped understandings of health and well-being, suffering, and death. In Bodies, Commodities, and Biotechnologies, Lesley Sharp probes the ideological assumptions underlying the transfer of body parts, the social significance of donors' deaths, and the medico-scientific desires surrounding complex forms of body repair. Sharp also considers the experimental realm, in which nonhuman species and artificial devices present further opportunities for recovery and for controversy.
A compelling scientific investigation and social critique, Bodies, Commodities, and Biotechnologies explores the pervasive, and at times pernicious, practices shaping American biomedicine in the twenty-first century.
A compelling scientific investigation and social critique, Bodies, Commodities, and Biotechnologies explores the pervasive, and at times pernicious, practices shaping American biomedicine in the twenty-first century.
Reviews / Votes
Sharp makes a complex topic comprehensible. -- Donna Chavez BooklistMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
12 illus.
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 140 mm
Weight
312 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-231-13838-3 (9780231138383)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Lesley A. Sharp
Bodies, Commodities, and Biotechnologies
Death, Mourning, and Scientific Desire in the Realm of Human Organ Transfer
Book
12/2008
Columbia University Press
€24.80
Shipment within 10-20 days

Lesley A. Sharp
Bodies, Commodities, and Biotechnologies
Death, Mourning, and Scientific Desire in the Realm of Human Organ Transfer
E-Book
10/2006
1st Edition
Columbia University Press
from
€38.69
Available for download
Person
Lesley A. Sharp is professor of anthropology at Barnard College, and senior research scientist in sociomedical sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Content
List of Illustrations AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. The Good Death Managing and Memorializing the Dead2. Body Commodities The Medical Value of the Human Body and its Parts3. Human, Monkey, Machine The Brave New World of Human HybridityEpilogue The Future of the Body TransformedNotes References Cited Index