ANTH 29901 - Gbl Politics of Reproduction

Course Credit: 1
(SOAN, WGSS)
GLOBAL POLITICS OF REPRODUCTION Anthropologists have a long history of conducting cross-cultural research on childbirth and reproduction, as well as applying that work to public debates over reproductive health and rights. This course considers how approaches to contraception, fertility, childbirth, and childcare differ across cultures, and often vary within cultures as a result of inequities based on race, nation, class, age, gender, and sexuality. For instance: How has the medicalization of childbirth affected traditional birthways and why are we seeing a resurgence of interest in midwifery and holistic healthcare (particularly among white, middle-class and affluent women) in North America and Europe? How has the advent of new reproductive technologies (such as medicalized abortion and contraception, in vitro fertilization, and amniocentesis) affected expectations and experiences of reproduction in different areas of the world? How has uneven access to-and application of-reproductive technologies throughout the world affected reproductive options and “choices”? How do approaches to sex, childbirth, and childcare vary throughout the world-and who determines the “right” way to conceive, give birth, or raise a child? Prerequisite(s): ANTH-11000. [HSS]