The Spectacular Generic

“With innovative and sophisticated analysis and a rich comparative perspective, The Spectacular Generic is a remarkable contribution to the anthropology of pharmaceuticalization. Cori Hayden has opened up a unique field of inquiry into the multiplicity of generic medicines through which she powerfully interrogates transforming configurations of statecraft, medical capitalism, and patient-citizenry.” - João Biehl, author of Will to Live: AIDS Therapies and the Politics of Survival

“This stunning book starts by unraveling the knots of pharmaceutical difference then leads us to a new understanding of the commodity itself. Gorgeously written, it traces the connections between the materiality of drugs, commodity exuberance, and populist politics. After you read this book, drugs will never be the same.” - Michelle Murphy, author of The Economization of Life

“With exceptional clarity and theoretical sophistication, The Spectacular Generic dives into the complexities of generics while interweaving the convolutions of state and market. This book is a true model of how to do deep, complex anthropological work that scales history, geopolitics, governmentality, STS, pharmaceuticals, and health care. Truly a tour de force!” - Kristin Peterson, author of Speculative Markets: Drug Circuits and Derivative Life in Nigeria

"Recommended, with reservations. Graduate students and faculty." - A. H. Koblitz, Choice

"This book is a gem, and most importantly, of interest well beyond medical anthropology. It contributes directly to political and economic debates across disciplines, and topically, it will be unexpectedly relevant to studies of populism and ethics, and more broadly, political economy, governance and the state. It is pitched at a level that will probably be best suited for advanced undergraduates onwards." - Juan Manuel del Nido, Bulletin of Latin American Research

"Ultimately, The Spectacular Generic asks us to recognize that 'generic' drugs do not stand apart from the systems of commerce, science, and politics that produce branded drugs. . . . by shifting the story from Big Pharma’s home stomping grounds of the United States and Europe, by incorporating the voices and experiences of ordinary drug takers, and through ingenious decoding of forbiddingly complex generic politics, she expands our understanding of generic drugs and what they reveal about the kinds of health care that can emerge under the utopian pretensions of the 'free market.'" - David Herzberg, Bulletin of the History of Medicine

"The Spectacular Generic is an essential contribution to critical pharmaceutical studies. Hayden has produced a seminal account of the proliferation of generic pharmaceuticals in Mexico and more widely in Latin America (e.g., Argentina) that also explores the global implications of the pharmaceutical copy. Her multi-sited ethnography is historically, empirically, and theoretically detailed as well as playful. . . ." - Michael Oldani, Anthropos

"The Spectacular Generic is a readable and detail-packed tale of a phenomenon that is almost entirely unknown to many regions of the world. . . . Understanding how state and market cooperate in this field makes The Spectacular Generic essential reading for students of global health, public health, and medical anthropology." - Jennie Gamlin, Journal of Anthropological Research