Introduction: Self-Tracking, Embodied Differences, and Intersectionality

Abstract

This introduction to the Special Section “Self-Tracking, Embodied Differences, and the Politics and Ethics of Health” situates self-tracking technologies and practices within the contexts of neoliberalism, gendered and racialized health inequalities, and questions of social justice. It argues that intersectional STS analyses are needed to address the complex ways in which self-tracking technologies draw on, and may reinforce, colonial and racialized hierarchies, gendered histories of surveillance, and normative assumptions of ability and embodiment. The introduction outlines the four key areas of concern that the Special Section articles address: tracking mental health, tracking moving bodies, tracking reproductive health, and art interventions.