Margaret Lock

M NW passage

Margaret Lock is a prominent medical anthropologist known for her extensive research in the fields of medical anthropology, bioethics, and the anthropology of the body. She has made significant contributions to the understanding of how cultural and social factors influence medical practices and perceptions of the body.

Early Life and Education

Margaret Lock was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of British Columbia and later pursued a master's degree in anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. Lock earned her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley in 1976.

Academic Career

Lock began her academic career as a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where she taught for several decades. She is currently a professor emerita at McGill University. Throughout her career, Lock has focused on the intersections of culture, medicine, and technology.

Research and Contributions

Margaret Lock is best known for her work on the concept of local biologies, which explores how biological and medical phenomena are shaped by cultural and social contexts. Her research has examined topics such as menopause, organ transplantation, and genetics.

Menopause and Local Biologies

In her seminal work, Encounters with Aging: Mythologies of Menopause in Japan and North America, Lock compared the experiences of menopause among women in Japan and North America. She demonstrated that the symptoms and perceptions of menopause are not universal but are influenced by cultural beliefs and practices.

Organ Transplantation

Lock has also conducted extensive research on organ transplantation, particularly in the context of brain death and the ethical implications of organ donation. Her book Twice Dead: Organ Transplants and the Reinvention of Death explores the cultural and medical dimensions of brain death and organ transplantation.

Genetics and Bioethics

In recent years, Lock has turned her attention to the field of genetics and the ethical issues surrounding genetic testing and genomic medicine. Her work highlights the social and cultural implications of genetic knowledge and the ways in which it is integrated into medical practice.

Awards and Honors

Margaret Lock has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to medical anthropology, including the Wenner-Gren Foundation's Franz Boas Award for Exemplary Service to Anthropology and the Canada Council for the Arts' Killam Prize.

Selected Publications

• Encounters with Aging: Mythologies of Menopause in Japan and North America
• Twice Dead: Organ Transplants and the Reinvention of Death
• An Anthropology of Biomedicine (co-authored with Vinh-Kim Nguyen)

See Also

• Medical anthropology
• Bioethics
• Anthropology of the body
• Local biologies
• Menopause
• Organ transplantation
• Genetics