At the core of Caty's research program are two questions: what is the body and what shapes its value? In pursuit of answers to these questions, her dissertation examines how pharmaceutical markets assign economic value to bodies, and how this (de)valuation shapes peoples’ perceptions of their social worth. This work draws upon scholarship on health and illness, markets, culture, inequalities, morality, and sociology of the body. At a time when new technological advances in genetics, bodily tissues, and stem cells increase the risk of turning the body into a commodity, this research innovates by illuminating how social and cultural beliefs about the body shape – and are shaped by – emerging medical markets.

Educational Background & Specialties
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Educational Background

  • B.A.: Sociology, Hamilton College, 2011 -
  • M.A.: Sociology, Women's and Gender Studies, Brandeis University, 2014 -

Specialties

  • body markets
  • The body
  • Gender, Race, and Class
  • Sociology of Health and Illness
  • Cultural Sociology