EXCEL: THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

Biotechnologies, enhancement and bodycapital in portugal

The technological capacity to transform biology, relying on advances in genetic engineering, pharmacology, cybernetics and nanotechnology, has spurred a variety of devices to manipulate human body that are commonly defined "enhancement technologies". Prompted by economic analyses on the increase in cosmetic consumption of bio-technologies in Portugal during the global financial crisis, EXCEL tackles these technologies as bio-investment practices to promote personal competitiveness according to a logic of excellence. Focusing on the Greater Lisbon area and noting the national and transnational circuits that affect this context, we aim to add to existing statistical and bio-ethical analyses qualitative ethnographic data to unfold the complexity of these practices. Our ambition is to bridge the micro-dynamics of specific forms of bio-investment, exploring practices of and aspirations for biomedical self-making, with the genesis of new markets and transnational circuits of medical tourism.

Este trabalho é financiado por fundos nacionais através da FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P., no âmbito do projeto

Em Busca da Excelência. Biotecnologias, enhancement e capital corpóreo em Portugal PTDC/SOC-ANT/30572/2017