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Little bottles and the promise of probiotics

Burges Watson, D; Moreira, T; Murtagh, MJ

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Authors

D Burges Watson

MJ Murtagh



Abstract

In this article we explore `regimes of hope' in contemporary bioscience as articulated in spaces of health consumption. We use the case study of probiotic little bottles, highlighting their promissory branding as consumer products, to consider how hope and truth play out across different spaces of health care — the supermarket, media and laboratory. Drawing on work within both sociological and geographic literatures to think about hope, truth and probiotics, this article explores their ambiguous promise through an analysis of their biomedical and popular representation. The seemingly incommensurate promise of probiotics between popular and medical spheres provides the point of departure for an examination of the geographies of hope, truth and selfhood.

Citation

Burges Watson, D., Moreira, T., & Murtagh, M. (2009). Little bottles and the promise of probiotics. Health: An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health, Illness and Medicine, 13(2), 219-234. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363459308099685

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Mar 1, 2009
Deposit Date Apr 17, 2009
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Health.
Print ISSN 1363-4593
Electronic ISSN 1461-7196
Publisher SAGE Publications
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 13
Issue 2
Pages 219-234
DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/1363459308099685
Publisher URL http://hea.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/13/2/219

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Copyright Statement
The final definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal Health : an interdisciplinary journal for the social study of health, illness and medicine , 13/2 2009 © SAGE Publications Ltd 2010 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Health : an interdisciplinary journal for the social study of health, illness and medicine page: http://hea.sagepub.com/ on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/




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