Ethics, Moral Life and the Body Sociological Perspectives

What kinds of contributions can sociologists make to debates about ethics? What makes sociological investigation of morality and ethical issues distinct from philosophical concerns? Is there a place for a separate subfield within the discipline of sociology that deals specifically with questions of ethics and morality? This book places these questions on the sociological agenda. The first part of the book addresses the 'ethical turn' in sociology, and includes chapters on defining ethics and morality, lay understandings of ethics, sociological accounts of moral life, and the relation of sociology to bioethics. These chapters examine alternative conceptions to mainstream discussions regarding embodiment and ethics. The book provides insight into both recent debates in the humanities and social sciences about the circulation and transfer of bodily fluids, tissues, and organs, and the gift-exchange, reciprocity practices, and institutions that make these body economies possible.

Rhonda M. Shaw is a sociologist at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Her research interests include the history of the sociology of morality, the contribution of sociology to bioethics, and empirical research on tissue and organ exchange.

Introduction
1. Defining Ethics And Morality
2. Moral Judgement And Embodied Ethics
3. Sociology And Morality
4. Sociology And Bioethics
5. Organ And Tissue Donation
6. Assisted Human Reproduction
7. Breast Milk Sharing And Exchange
Closing Remarks: Ethics And Doing Sociology