Global Bioethics: A Story of Dreams and Doubts from Bengal

This article is concerned with the practice of bioethics outside of the Euro-American and Anglophone settings in which it was first formulated. In theoretical terms, the article considers the frictions that arise when global-scale projects such as bioethics are introduced into diverse social and cultural settings. Methodologically, the article is constructed around the biography of an Indian medical educator trained in bioethics and working to promote the subdiscipline in the Indian context. The article describes the situated practice of bioethics and highlights the incommensurability of some of its key terms and concepts when practiced outside of the global North.