Abstract
AbstractThis article advances the case for a ‘sociology of donation’. We aim to establish that there is a need for such a sociology, to bring together the many, often disparate, elements that make up the theorizing, practice and experience of donation. We argue that bringing together different forms of donation illuminates the distinctive place both in social meaning and regulation that the body and its products hold. In developing this, we are primarily focusing on the donation of body parts and body products within high‐income countries. We will first outline the standard western accounts of donation, and consider how relevant these are to donation practices and policies in the 21st century. We will then critically discuss how a sociology of donation can be used to further current understandings of ‘donation’ and identify the challenges facing such a proposal, posing questions to encourage reflection on research practices in this area. Finally, we will explore what a sociology of donation might entail.
Highlights
This paper contributes to the recent debates surrounding a sociology of donation
We aim to establish that there is a need for such a sociology in order to bring together debates surrounding the donation of different body parts and products for a wide range of different purposes, debates that are often conducted independently of one another
We argue that bringing together different forms of donation illuminates the distinctive place both in social meaning and regulation that the body and its products hold
Summary
This paper contributes to the recent debates surrounding a sociology of donation. International researchers have contemplated a sociology of donation from various standpoints, including morality (Shaw, 2019), gender (Kent et al, 2019), and personal lives of donors (Nordqvist, 2019), and have attempted to bring together the many, often disparate, elements that make up the theorizing, practice and experience of donation (see Shaw, 2008; Swanson, 2014; Waldby and Mitchell, 2006). We aim to establish that there is a need for such a sociology in order to bring together debates surrounding the donation of different body parts and products for a wide range of different purposes, debates that are often conducted independently of one another. In developing a sociology of donation, we are primarily focusing on the donation of ‘body parts’ – tissue, organs – and ‘body products’ such as aborted foetuses and breast milk. This is partly to delineate the area, but arguably body parts and products raise distinctive sociological and ethical issues, that donation of money or assets do not. We explore what a sociology of donation might entail by drawing upon complexity science scholars
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