The Oocyte Economy

“An exceptionally compelling account of the emergence of an economy that has fully disrupted the conventional mechanics of family formation and romantic narratives of singular mother-child relations. In this beautifully written and elegantly argued work, Catherine Waldby invites us to consider the oocyte as potent actuator of past and present identities and new, previously unimagined forms of distributed maternity and to explore the multiply constituted landscape of complex parental rights and obligations to which its use gives rise.” - Bronwyn Parry, author of Trading the Genome: Investigating the Commodification of Bio-Information

“Drawing on extensive fieldwork and rich empirical material, The Oocyte Economy follows the manifold trajectories of women's reproductive cells, investigating how they intersect with matters of race, gender and class. Catherine Waldby's new book not only provides the best overview to date of how oocytes are mobilized in multiple forms of commercialization and capitalization, but significantly expands our understanding of contemporary reproductive biopolitics.” - Thomas Lemke, author of Foucault’s Analysis of Modern Governmentality: A Critique of Political Reason

“Catherine Waldby continues her meditation on tissue economies with this brilliant examination of women's reproductive cells. Beautifully written, this book will be of interest to anyone who cares about the politics of reproduction, and it is likely to become required reading for scholars of gender, medicine, and embodiment.” - Rene Almeling, author of Sex Cells: The Medical Market for Eggs and Sperm

"What Waldby presents so compellingly is that there is an oocyte economy. Eggs have value and meaning, indeed they have different values and meanings in different contexts." - Jane Maienschein, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences

"Waldby has a long and impressive history of publications dealing with the social, political, ethical, and biomedical aspects of changing global markets for stem cells, umbilical cord blood, human eggs, fertilized blastocysts, embryos, and other (by-)products of artificially assisted reproduction." - A. H. Koblitz, Choice

"The Oocyte Economy is not only a rigorous study but a riveting read." - Claire Horn, Women's Review of Books

"This book offers a fascinating foray into the changing meaning of human oocytes for Western women and reproductive scientists. As such, it is a must-read for scholars of reproduction, and for related courses in anthropology, sociology, gender studies, and the history of science and medicine."

"A thought-provoking and original examination of the emergence of an economy premised on deep cultural beliefs about the meaning of oocytes.… Likely to become required reading in medicine, gender, and in the interdisciplinary field of reproduction." - Rosanna Hertz, Society

"The Oocyte Economy ultimately provides unparalleled insights into fertility practices to better conceptualize ethical arguments pertaining to assisted reproductive technologies. This book will appeal to social sciences and humanities scholars of medicine, especially those seeking refined theorizing on tissue donation made possible by the unique features of human eggs." - Nathalie Egalite, International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics

"A fascinating account of the complex social meanings attached to egg cells and the possibilities and mysteries that technoscience is still unlocking about them. . . . The Oocyte Economy is replete with historical accounts and quotes from a range of different participants, making this book of particular interest to anybody interested in the expanding reproductive markets with a focus on tissue economies, IVF patients, and reproductive labor." - Anna Molas, Medical Anthropology Quarterly

"The Oocyte Economy contributes significantly to the anthropology of kinship and family through an interesting discussion on modern negotiated mothering practices and emotional labor in shaping the identities of intending mothers and their imagined future offspring." - Suzana Ignjatovic, Anthropological Notebooks