Who Is My Stranger? Origins of the Gift in Wartime London, 1939‐45

Whitfield, Nicholas

doi:10.1002/9781118656235.ch5

Cited by 15 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Yet, researchers have argued that articulating body part donation within a ‘gift’ discourse remains over‐simplistic and unrealistic, as it does not reflect the complex and multi‐faceted decisions made during the donation process (Sharp & Randhawa, 2014) or what is important for people when making donation decisions (Sque, Long, Payne, & Allardyce, 2007). Ultimately, the ‘gift’ has been accused of idealizing the donation system and is often seen as an outdated model (Whitfield, 2013). Further, it ignores the political and economic context in which donation takes place (see Champney, 2016; Grace et al, 2019).…”

Section: Deconstructing Donationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The importance of ‘community’ has resonated extensively within the literature on donation. The origins of the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service lie in a duty to a community, rather than a private relation between individuals (Whitfield, 2013). More recently, membership of disease or ethnic communities have been reported to hold a powerful influence on the decision to donate (Sharp & Randhawa, 2016).…”

Section: Reviewing the Donation Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Titmuss framed blood donation as a relationship between two strangers—the donor and the recipient. To achieve this, the donated blood was given anonymously (Whitfield, 2013). Consequently, donation has been viewed as a one‐off act (Shaw, 2014), which is exacerbated by the distance between donors and their donation constructed through the collection, processing, and storage of body parts and products (Whitfield, 2013).…”

Section: Reviewing the Donation Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

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Proposing a sociology of donation: The donation of body parts and products for art, education, research, or treatment

2020

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This 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. 1 | INTRODUCTION This article 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,

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Section: Deconstructing Donationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reviewing the Donation Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reviewing the Donation Landscapementioning

confidence: 99%

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Proposing a sociology of donation: The donation of body parts and products for art, education, research, or treatment

2020

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“…Examining the language used can thus shed light on underlying assumptions. The very word ‘donation’ is problematic, conjuring up an image of charity, voluntarism and selfless giving to an imagined or ‘fictive’ other (Whitfield ). ‘Donor’ similarly calls to mind both philanthropy and – in the medical context – the therapeutic act of the blood donor and organ donor.…”

Section: The Language Of ‘Donation’mentioning

confidence: 99%

From waste product to blood, brains and narratives: developing a pluralist sociology of contributions to health research

Boylan

Locock

Machin

2018

Sociology Health & Illness

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The aim of this paper is to examine the meaning of the concept of donation in health research. Drawing on a set of narrative interviews with people invited to donate biosamples for research and a range of other studies, we identify several conceptual themes that speak to the complexity of the current landscape of critical thinking about donation. These conceptual themes are: the language of 'donation'; a hierarchy of biosamples; alternative informational value; narratives as donation; coincidental donation, convenience and degree of invasiveness; and rights, consent and benefits of research participation. We call for a reconceptualisation of research donation to encompass not only the numerous types of sample readily classed as donations, but also other types of data and contributions, including narrative interviews, psychometric data, patient-reported outcome measures, record-linkage, and time and effort. We argue for the development of a pluralist sociology of research donations, and suggest that a 'sociology of research contributions' might better capture this complexity.

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“…In the introduction, Jane Carsten () reminded us that blood is potently symbolic and vitally material. Historically oriented contributors examined the prominence of blood as a signifier of authenticity, inner truth, violence, and sacrifice in medieval European discourse (Bildhauer ); analyzed its use as paint signifying sacrifice in a genre of Indian artwork (Copeman ); and examined the “gift rhetoric” associated with anonymous blood donation in London during the Second World War (Whitfield ). Ethnographically oriented contributors explored how blood takes on multiple meanings in kinship and worship within the Mormon church (Cannell ); traced “the social life of blood” as it moves through Malaysian clinical pathology labs and blood banks (Carsten ); and opened up the religious, political, economic, and geographical reasons as to why Catholic peasants in Brazil treat malaise with intravenous fluids rather than oral rehydration (Mayblin ).…”

Section: Race and Bloodmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Year 2013 in Sociocultural Anthropology: Cultures of Circulation and Anthropological Facts

Carse

2014

American Anthropologist

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In this review essay, I explore the relationship between cultures of circulation and anthropological facts. Research published in 2013 advanced the field by attending to the coproduction of globally circulating things (commodities, race, brands, authenticity, blood) and specific cultural landscapes. Building on the field's renewed interest in materiality, scholars showed how anthropological facts are produced at the intersection of interlocking cultural classification systems and a world that is heterogeneous and dynamic. Moving beyond the notion that shared meanings and categories are attached to or layered on people and things, this approach conceptualized such relations recursively. Scholars suggested that race-as an anthropological fact-becomes biological through social practice and, similarly, that cultural assumptions and political biases become environmental because they are embedded in our infrastructures and built landscapes. This approach permeates many of the articles reviewed and links the clusters into which I have grouped them: "Value and Incommensurability," "Brands and Authenticity," "Race and Blood," and "Infrastructure and Citizenship." I conclude by discussing the challenges and opportunities for a sociocultural anthropology that recognizes the transformative power of global connection while refusing to give up its long-running pursuit of cultural wisdom and more humane social configurations. [circulation, facts, infrastructure, value, sociocultural anthropology, year in review]RESUMEN En este ensayo revisión, exploro la relación entre las culturas de circulación y los hechos antropológicos.Investigaciones publicadas en el 2013 avanzaron el campo de estudio atendiendo a la coproducción de cosas circulando globalmente (mercancías, raza, marcas, autenticidad, sangre) y paisajes culturales específicos. Construyendo sobre el renovado interés del campo de estudio en materialidad, investigadores mostraron cómo hechos antropológicos son producidos en la intersección de sistemas de clasificación cultural entrelazadores, y un mundo que es heterogéneo y dinámico. Yendo más allá de la noción que significados y categorías compartidos están ligados a, o divididos en capas en gente y cosas, esta aproximación conceptualizó tales relaciones recursivamente.Investigadores sugieren que raza-como un hecho antropológico-se hace biológica mediante la practica social, y similarmente, asunciones culturales y sesgos políticos se convierten en ambientales porque están embebidos en nuestras infraestructuras y paisajes construidos. Esta aproximación permea muchos de los artículos revisados y conecta los grupos en que les he reunido: "Valor e inconmensurabilidad", "Marcas y autenticidad", "Raza y sangre" e "Infraestructura y ciudadanía". Concluyo discutiendo los retos y oportunidades para una antropología sociocultural

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Who Is My Stranger? Origins of the Gift in Wartime London, 1939‐45

Cited by 15 publications

References 24 publications

Proposing a sociology of donation: The donation of body parts and products for art, education, research, or treatment

Proposing a sociology of donation: The donation of body parts and products for art, education, research, or treatment

From waste product to blood, brains and narratives: developing a pluralist sociology of contributions to health research

The Year 2013 in Sociocultural Anthropology: Cultures of Circulation and Anthropological Facts

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