Culture Wars: Subcreation and the Narrative Contestation of Cultivated Meat
11 October 2026 · Rhetoric and Communication Studies · Bioethics and Human Rights Issues · Foucault, Power, and Ethics
Cultivated meat has become a focus of cultural conflict, shaping whether the public sees it as morally desirable or a threat to society. The authors analyse discourse from supporters and opponents through a framework of narrative worlds organised around time. They find that both camps invoke tradition, identity and autonomy, but place these values in opposing accounts of continuity and change. The paper argues that this lens can explain disputes over legitimacy in climate policy, reproductive technology and artificial intelligence governance.