Paper short abstract:

Focusing on two instances of ‘touch’ over cows’ bodies in Turkey, this paper differentiates between veterinary and zootechnical care. While veterinary care and caring forms of touch create a reciprocal indeterminacy that can undo the commodity form, zootechnical care solidifies control.

Paper long abstract:

In defining cows as globally traded commodities, legal and veterinary regulations allocate the legitimacy of touch over their bodies. While the legal regulations distinguish between “licit” and “illicit” forms of touch (Rosenberg 2017), veterinary medicine often legitimizes tactile interventions on cows' bodies by emphasizing the notion of care. In both contexts, touch becomes desirable as it contributes to the (re)production of cows for/as a commodity. Yet, the touch also introduces uncertainty in specific contexts, where care can disrupt or create a dent in the productivity regime. By analyzing two instances of ‘touch’ over cows’ bodies in Turkey's production and circulation process, I would like to explore the uncertainty introduced by touch, establishing a differentiation between veterinary and zootechnical care. While veterinary care and caring forms of touch create a reciprocal indeterminacy that can suspend the commodity form, zootechnical care solidifies control. The indeterminacy introduced by veterinary care can both undo and reinstitute the commodity form, aligning care with the broader "economies of touch" (Ahmed 2000) governing cows' bodies through zootechnical means.