Liminal Lives: Imagining the Human at the Frontiers of Biomedicine

by Susan Merrill Squier

Embryo adoptions, stem cells capable of transforming into any cell in the human body, intra- and inter-species organ transplantation—these and other biomedical advances have unsettled ideas of what it means to be human, of when life begins and ends. In the first study to consider the cultural impact of the medical transformation of the entire human life span, Susan Merrill Squier argues that fiction—particularly science fiction—serves as a space where worries about ethically and socially charged scientific procedures are worked through. Indeed, she demonstrates that in many instances fiction has anticipated and paved the way for far-reaching biomedical changes. Squier uses the anthropological concept of liminality—the state of being on the threshold of change, no longer one thing yet not quite another—to explore how, from the early twentieth century forward, fiction and science together have altered not only the concept of the human being but the contours of human life. Drawing on archival materials of twentieth-century biology; little-known works of fiction and science fiction; and twentieth- and twenty-first century U.S. and U.K. government reports by the National Institutes of Health, the Parliamentary Advisory Group on the Ethics of Xenotransplantation, and the President’s Council on Bioethics, she examines a number of biomedical changes as each was portrayed by scientists, social scientists, and authors of fiction and poetry. Among the scientific developments she considers are the cultured cell, the hybrid embryo, the engineered intrauterine fetus, the child treated with human growth hormone, the process of organ transplantation, and the elderly person rejuvenated by hormone replacement therapy or other artificial means. Squier shows that in the midst of new phenomena such as these, literature helps us imagine new ways of living. It allows us to reflect on the possibilities and perils of our liminal lives.

368 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2004

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Liminal Lives Susan Squier examines the ways in which the traditional exclusionary binary between fiction and science is a false one. Whereas science is often viewed as being concerned with the factual, and fiction to be concerned with the imaginary and never the twain shall meet, Squier argues that fiction, particularly speculative fiction, not only tends to foresee future scientific advances before they become reality, but also explores many of the ethical, biological, environmental, and social implications that these discoveries will entail before scientists have to deal with them. So rather than being separate entities with non-overlapping magesteria, to paraphrase Stephen Jay Gould, science and fiction in truth concern themselves with the same topics, approaching them in different ways. Squier contends that rather than maintaining their traditional distance, practitioners in each discipline would find it more valuable to engage with each other.

The particular focus of the book is on the idea of "liminal lives" which represent the blurring and redefining of the definition of human life which has resulted from scientific advances. Each chapter examines a topic in light of examples of speculative fiction and the scientific discoveries that made the concept a reality. I felt that the stories she selects for each chapter, while meant to only serve as representational pieces, encapsulate a lot of what is most exciting about science fiction and I found myself wanting to see if I could look up these stories and read them. The histories of the various scientists and their discoveries are absolutely fascinating, and Squier explains the importance of their work and its scientific aspects in ways that are understandable to non-specialists. I would be very remiss if I didn't mention that this book includes some scientists' own attempts at creative production and there is something wonderful about reading a researcher's poem about the cellular process told from the cell's standpoint.

I highly recommend this book. It made me excited about science fiction again and led me to reconsider many of the assumptions I unconsciously held about science and fiction. Squier has done an excellent job with her research and crafted a highly readable theory book--an achievement in itself.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Squier brings together the often-divided worlds of science and literature. The book is a great read for anyone interested in interdisciplinary studies specifically related to Biology, Physics, Literature, Rhetoric. Squier discusses each section or 'liminal life' by reviewing all the literature (government documents, scientific findings, fiction, etc.) on the subjects. I really like her style in putting together her research, and I think I'll try incorporating it more into my own research. Liminal Lives offers a great pattern for any interdisciplinary researcher to follow.