CfP: Birth control and the medical and paramedical bodies: a gender approach for the 19th and 20th century (Event: 03/2016, Valencia); DL: 20.04.2015

Panel proposal for the network sexuality at the European Social Science History Conference (Web); Virginie Barrusse and Caroline Rusterholz
Venue: Valencia
Time: 30 March-2 April 2016
Proposals not later than 20 April 2015
This panel is aimed at exploring the role of medical and paramedical bodies in the legitimization of birth control. Recently, scholars have recommended considering physicians as central actors for issues relating to birth control (Suter, 1995; Usborne, 1992). Some of them have focused on the (late) investment of doctors in this issue (Suter; Hall, 2001), while other have analyzed their relationship with religion (Gervais/Gauvreau, 2003; Van Poppel/Sommers, 2010; Rusterholz, 2015) or looked at their production of knowledge, considering them as „moral entrepreneur“ spreading norms on birth control (De Luca Barrusse, 2015; Garcia, 2011; Pavard, 2012). However, much remains to be done to better understand the role of physicians, especially considering the impact of gender. This session will try to fill this gap by focusing on the influence of medical and paramedical bodies on birth control. The following questions will be addressed: what did birth control owe to medical and paramedical bodies, did they ease or slow the process of legitimization? How did gender influence their position? Read more and source … (Web)