Abstract

Managing social relationships for childless couples in pro-natalist societies can be a difficult art to master, and may even become an issue of belonging for both men and women. With ethnographic research gathered from two IVF clinics and in two villages in northwestern Turkey, this book explores infertility and assisted reproductive technologies within a secular Muslim population. Göknar investigates the experience of infertility through various perspectives, such as the importance of having a child for women, the mediating role of religion, the power dynamics in same-gender relationships, and the impact of manhood ideologies on the decision for — or against — having IVF.

“…an important contribution to the fields of cultural anthropology, medical anthropology, anthropology of reproduction, and gender studies. It also contributes to Middle Eastern studies and anthropology of religion, particularly in terms of the debates of religious rhetoric and scientific technology as intertwined empowerment strategies. Due to its accessible language and the detailed literature review of anthropology of procreation in Turkey, I highly recommend the book for undergraduate courses on anthropology of reproduction in the Middle East as well as anthropology of gender in Turkey.” · Anthropos

“Many women in Turkey feel (or are made to feel) that they are not complete or fully adult until they produce a child, preferably a boy. . .This book tells the stories of childless women who resort to IVF at great expense and much suffering in order to achieve that status. A poignant call for changes in this patriarchal culture.”  ·  Carol Delaney, Professor Emerita, Stanford University

Merve Demircioğlu Göknar is a medical anthropologist who specializes in reproduction, gender and religion. Her research interests include local healing practices and Buddhism in Sri Lanka, assisted reproductive technologies and infertility in Turkey, and birth experiences of women and parenting practices in California. She is currently an independent researcher.