Temporalities in Comparative Historical Analysis: A Sequence Analysis of Legalizing Morally Contested Biotechnology

• In Event: 50460 - Section on Comparative-Historical Sociology Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 9: The Moral Imperative

Abstract

At the core of comparative historical analysis is the “systematic comparison of sequences.” This study utilizes an innovative method to capture temporalities by comparing the sequences of legalizing morally contested biotechnology. The empirical case under examination is the order and pace between transplant legalization and the legalization of brain death—the irreversible cessation of all cerebral and brainstem activities and a prerequisite for organ procurement from deceased donors—sources of most donations for transplantation. Transplant legalization is thus linked to enacting brain death as a legitimate criterion for organ procurement. My sequence analysis shows that the "temporal" order of legalization differs from a "logical" one. Instead of the predicted co-occurrence of brain death and transplant legalizations, brain death legalizations happened long after transplant legalization. My findings advance the scholarly understanding of state institutions and welfare provisions, trace the processes of healthcare state formation, and demonstrate the strength of innovative methodology in comparative historical analysis in illuminating global patterns.

Author

• Wan-Zi Lu, Stony Brook University