
doi: 10.1086/521749
pmid: 18175469
Using Ian Hacking's notion of "making up people", this paper argues that human chimeras--people who contain more than one genetically distinct cell population--have been made up. As with multiple personality, the discourse surrounding the phenomenon of chimerism offers a novel vantage point for examining the socio-political processes of subject formation. Evidence from archives, interviews with cell scientists, and popular sources will show that, in a strange leap that has come to seem self-evident, journalists, laypeople, and even scientists have come to equate genomes with selves and hence conclude that chimeras are more than one person. Thus far, the challenge that chimeras pose to the simple alignment of genome-body-person has been limited both by relegating chimeras to freak show status and by liberal institutions' demands that individuals be singular.
Male, Politics, Twins, History, 20th Century, Chimerism, DNA Fingerprinting, Individuation, Humans, Female, Mass Media
Male, Politics, Twins, History, 20th Century, Chimerism, DNA Fingerprinting, Individuation, Humans, Female, Mass Media
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 11 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Average | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
