In neoliberalism, human tissue has been targeted as a novel source for the extraction of
surplus value. Entire new markets for human biomaterials such as reproductive tissue, organs
and clinical data have emerged. Commercial attention has also turned to ethnic and racial
minorities, resulting in myriad products and services specifically developed for them. In this
paper, we focus on this market interest in racialised tissue by exploring two contested
empirical examples: clinical trials for pharmaceuticals in the United States and stem cell
transplantation in the United Kingdom. Both examples use racial taxonomies as useful tools
in discerning human biological difference to draw conclusions about the economic potential
of donors’ and participants’ genetic constitutions. We will show, first, how they do so by
appealing to racialised minorities’ sense of responsibility toward ‘their’ communities, not
only actively buttressing the conflation of the social and biological registers of human
variation but also demonstrating neoliberalism’s mobilisation of discourses of community.
However, while the inclusion of racialised minorities is hoped to bring economic benefits, it
also aims to work towards the beneficent ends of addressing racial inequalities in healthcare
provision. Drawing on debates in Science and Technology Studies, we argue, second, that in
our examples, economic, social and cultural values cannot be disentangled. This compels us
to complement narratives of the commodification of racialised difference in neoliberal
(consumer) culture, and focus on the intersections between different values pertaining
simultaneously to economic and ethical realms. Ultimately though, we find that whilst
important work is being done to ameliorate racial inequities, the broader socio-economic and political inequalities minority communities face go unaddressed, likely precluding the
realisation of bioscience’s promise of health equality.
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)