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Benevolent technotopias and hitherto unimaginable meats: Tracing the promises of in vitro meat

Jönsson, Erik LU (2016) In Social Studies of Science 46(5). p.725-748
Abstract
Today, in vitro (Latin: in glass) meat researchers strive to overhaul meat production technologies by producing meat outside animal bodies, primarily by culturing cells. In the process, meat should become healthier, more environmentally friendly and kinder to animals. In this article, I scrutinize (and problematize) this promissory discourse by examining the world that proponents envision alongside the world from which promises emerge. First, I trace the increasing number of publications striving to pinpoint the nature of in vitro meat to unveil the creation of an in vitro meat canon wherein perceived possibilities become taken for granted. Second, I investigate how the promissory discourse is often relatively silent on key aspects of how... (More)
Today, in vitro (Latin: in glass) meat researchers strive to overhaul meat production technologies by producing meat outside animal bodies, primarily by culturing cells. In the process, meat should become healthier, more environmentally friendly and kinder to animals. In this article, I scrutinize (and problematize) this promissory discourse by examining the world that proponents envision alongside the world from which promises emerge. First, I trace the increasing number of publications striving to pinpoint the nature of in vitro meat to unveil the creation of an in vitro meat canon wherein perceived possibilities become taken for granted. Second, I investigate how the promissory discourse is often relatively silent on key aspects of how this technology could remake the world. Wet laboratories, animals and end products become foregrounded at the expense of political economy and the biophysical properties of cultured cells. Thus, questions concerning how funding requirements shape representations of this new technology, together with in vitro meat’s particular socio-spatial and socio-ecological implications, become problematically de-emphasized. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Today, in vitro (Latin: in glass) meat researchers strive to overhaul meat production technologies by producing meat outside animal bodies, primarily by culturing cells. In the process, meat should become healthier, more environmentally friendly and kinder to animals. In this article, I scrutinize (and problematize) this promissory discourse by examining the world that proponents envision alongside the world from which promises emerge. First, I trace the increasing number of publications striving to pinpoint the nature of in vitro meat to unveil the creation of an in vitro meat canon wherein perceived possibilities become taken for granted. Second, I investigate how the promissory discourse is often relatively silent on key aspects of how... (More)
Today, in vitro (Latin: in glass) meat researchers strive to overhaul meat production technologies by producing meat outside animal bodies, primarily by culturing cells. In the process, meat should become healthier, more environmentally friendly and kinder to animals. In this article, I scrutinize (and problematize) this promissory discourse by examining the world that proponents envision alongside the world from which promises emerge. First, I trace the increasing number of publications striving to pinpoint the nature of in vitro meat to unveil the creation of an in vitro meat canon wherein perceived possibilities become taken for granted. Second, I investigate how the promissory discourse is often relatively silent on key aspects of how this technology could remake the world. Wet laboratories, animals and end products become foregrounded at the expense of political economy and the biophysical properties of cultured cells. Thus, questions concerning how funding requirements shape representations of this new technology, together with in vitro meat’s particular socio-spatial and socio-ecological implications, become problematically de-emphasized. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
politisk ekologi, mat, kött, diskurs, bioteknik, venture capital
in
Social Studies of Science
volume
46
issue
5
pages
24 pages
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:84990222098
  • wos:000386013900004
  • pmid:28948884
ISSN
0306-3127
DOI
10.1177/0306312716658561
project
Formas 2013-1510: Djuret satt på undantag: En undersökning av in vitro-köttets politiska ekologi
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
29ed63d3-b37b-47cf-b140-a0bbef73e216
date added to LUP
2016-08-22 15:09:50
date last changed
2022-04-24 17:11:23
@article{29ed63d3-b37b-47cf-b140-a0bbef73e216,
  abstract     = {{Today, in vitro (Latin: in glass) meat researchers strive to overhaul meat production technologies by producing meat outside animal bodies, primarily by culturing cells. In the process, meat should become healthier, more environmentally friendly and kinder to animals. In this article, I scrutinize (and problematize) this promissory discourse by examining the world that proponents envision alongside the world from which promises emerge. First, I trace the increasing number of publications striving to pinpoint the nature of in vitro meat to unveil the creation of an in vitro meat canon wherein perceived possibilities become taken for granted. Second, I investigate how the promissory discourse is often relatively silent on key aspects of how this technology could remake the world. Wet laboratories, animals and end products become foregrounded at the expense of political economy and the biophysical properties of cultured cells. Thus, questions concerning how funding requirements shape representations of this new technology, together with in vitro meat’s particular socio-spatial and socio-ecological implications, become problematically de-emphasized.}},
  author       = {{Jönsson, Erik}},
  issn         = {{0306-3127}},
  keywords     = {{politisk ekologi; mat; kött; diskurs; bioteknik; venture capital}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{725--748}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Social Studies of Science}},
  title        = {{Benevolent technotopias and hitherto unimaginable meats: Tracing the promises of in vitro meat}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/16067979/J_nsson_SSS_paper.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0306312716658561}},
  volume       = {{46}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}