What’s in a name? On affect, value and the bio-economy

This paper examines the argument that the contemporary convergence of economy and species existence signals the emergence of a novel and distinctive formation, the ‘bio-economy’. It does by focusing on the role that the preservation of three breeds of sheep, the Xisqueta, the Sambucana and the Herdwick, plays in the renewal of agricultural communities in the Catalan Pyrenees, the Maritime Alps and the Lake District. In so doing, this paper not only draws attention the importance of affect to the emergence of bio-economic relationships, but also brings the value attached to the encounter of human and non-human animals into dialogue with an understanding of the same assemblage as an intensive field. As such, the paper contributes to ongoing discussions about forms of economic valuation and their production.