European Sociological Association Conference 2026
Strengthening Democracies: Social Action, Solidarity, and Sustainable Futures
The European Sociological Association (ESA) is pleased to announce the opening of the Call for Papers for the 17th ESA Conference, to be held in Warsaw, Poland, from 25 to 28 August 2026.
RS09 - The Gifted Body: Technological Innovation, Social Ties and Solidarity in Biocapital
Advancements in biotechnology have heightened the sociological relevance of the human body, not only as a whole but also when it is broken down and alienated from the person: organs, tissues, vital fluids such as blood and milk, reproductive cells, waste products and even microscopic components such as DNA sequences. These elements are extracted, transferred-largely in the form of gifts-and transformed into biomedical products, studied by scientific research, and re-implanted into other bodies. Their circulation saves lives, generates new ones, improves health, supports environmental sustainability and promises future applications.
Sociological and biocapital studies have extensively problematized Mauss classic concept of the gift in relation to reciprocity, exploitation, and altruism, highlighting its ongoing relevance despite pervasiveness economic logic shaping social relations, technological innovation and the reproduction of life itself.
Furthermore, the concept intersects in compelling ways with that of biocommunity or biosociality, offering a lens to explore biological and/or social relationships formed through the donation of organic components. Exploring values and beliefs (scientific and religious), the emotional dimensions of giving and receiving, subjective interpretations of the body and health, and the narrations through which these dimensions are articulated provides a rich field of inquiry at the crossroads of multiple sociological domains.
This Research Stream seeks contributes on the gift, the body, and biomarkets through empirical studies and theoretical reflections developed by scholars at all career stages, working in the fields of social theory, sociology of health, Science and Technology Studies (STS) and sociology of emotions, economic sociology.