Pig bodies and vegetative states: Diagnosing the symptoms of a culture of excess

Abstract

This essay develops a wide range of representation around the “wasting” body of Terri Schiavo using the theoretical considerations of waste and ethics of Zygmunt Bauman and Alain Badiou. Schiavo's body is considered alongside various pig bodies in art and performance to understand how the intersection of these bodies might negotiate a new understanding of “cure.”