Between gift and commodity: co-constructing the moral economy of donorship in contemporary Russia

In contemporary Russia, the donation of blood, bone marrow, and germ cells operates within a stratified moral economy where gift and commodity logics are selectively applied across different biological materials. This article examines how the Russian donorship landscape is shaped by the dual logics of gift-giving and commodification across different forms of donation. Drawing on narrative analysis of 16 in-depth interviews with donors alongside comparative analysis of six federal laws (February-May 2024), we reveal that the system is co-constructed through two dimensions: top-down through legislation and bottom-up through donor agency. We introduce the term 'strategic altruism' to describe how donors navigate state-provided incentives (paid time off, 'Honorary Donor' status) while maintaining altruistic identities. As the 'gift of life' principle tempers commodification across all types, its articulation varies significantly: bone marrow donation is sacralized as 'priceless' gift, blood donation combines altruistic rhetoric with strategic benefit-seeking, and germ cell donation operates within life giving and market logics. This comparative study contributes to anthropological understanding of how the Russian state and its citizens negotiate the complex bioethical terrain of corporeal giving.