Sophie Jossi-Silverstein

Research Project

In the work with the provisional title Proper(ty) Subjects: Reproductive Bioeconomies and a Critique of the Proprietary Self, Jossi-Silverstein examines which elements of a proprietary subjectivity become apparent in the bioethical debate on new reproductive technologies and the practices made possible by them (in particular: egg transfer and surrogacy). The analysis is carried out firstly by analysing the common argumentation structures in the bioethical discourse, with a focus on the pros and cons of a proprietary concept of subjectivity. Building on this, the findings are then categorised in a critical perspective on self-ownership and a conceptual-historical reconstruction of the term (with a focus on John Locke and Immanuel Kant). Specifically, this raises the question of whether the seemingly opposing sides in the discourse actually utilise a compatible concept of subject, which is implicitly or explicitly proprietary and actually denies the subjectification of persons with reproductive capacity.