Thai in vitro : gender, culture and assisted reproduction
by Andrea Whittaker
Language: English
New York : Berghahn Books, 2015.
276 p. : illus. ; cm.
ISBN: 9781782387329 ; 1782387323
Summary: In Thailand, infertility remains a source of stigma for those couples that combine a range of religious, traditional and high-tech interventions in their quest for a child. This book explores this experience of infertility and the pursuit and use of assisted reproductive technologies by Thai couples. Though using assisted reproductive technologies is becoming more acceptable in Thai society, access to and choices about such technologies are mediated by differences in class position. These stories of women and men in private and public infertility clinics reveal how local social and moral sensitivities influence the practices and meanings of treatment.
Available: http://www.berghahnbooks.com/title/WhittakerThai
Conceptions : infertilities and procreative technologies in India
by Aditya Bharadwaj
Language: English
New York : Berghahn Books, 2016.
276 p. ; illus. : cm.
ISBN: 9781785332302 ; 1785332309
Summary: Infertility and assisted reproductive technologies in India lie at the confluence of multiple cultural conceptions. These ‘conceptions’ are key to understanding the burgeoning spread of assisted reproductive technologies and the social implications of infertility and childlessness in India. This longitudinal study is situated in a number of diverse locales which, when taken together, unravel the complex nature of infertility and assisted conception in contemporary India.
Available: http://www.berghahnbooks.com/title/BharadwajConceptions
The elusive embryo : how women and men approach new reproductive technologies
by Gaylene Becker
Language: English
Berkeley : University of California Press, 2000.
x, 320 p. ; 23 cm.
ISBN: 9780520925243 ; 0520925246
Summary: In the first book to examine the industry of reproductive technology from the perspective of the consumer, Gay Becker scrutinizes the staggering array of medical options available to women and men with fertility problems and assesses the toll—both financial and emotional—that the quest for a biological child often exacts from would-be parents. Becker interviewed hundreds of people over a period of years; their stories are presented here in their own words. Absorbing, informative, and in many cases moving, these stories address deep-seated notions about gender, self-worth, and the cultural ideal of biological parenthood. Becker moves beyond people's personal experiences to examine contemporary meanings of technology and the role of consumption in modern life. What emerges is a clear view of technology as culture, with technology the template on which issues such as gender, nature, and the body are being rewritten and continuously altered. The Elusive Embryo chronicles the history and development of reproductive technology, and shows how global forces in consumer culture have contributed to the industry's growth. Becker examines how increasing use of reproductive technology has changed ideas about "natural" pregnancy and birth. Discussing topics such as in vitro fertilization, how men and women "naturalize" the use of a donor, and what happens when new reproductive technologies don't work, Becker shows how the experience of infertility has become increasingly politicized as potential parents confront the powerful forces that shape this industry. The Elusive Embryo is accessible, well written, and well documented. It will be an invaluable resource for people using or considering new reproductive technologies as well as for social scientists and health professionals.
Available: http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520224315
