Forthcoming special issue of Feminist Theory

Guest Editors: Natalia Gerodetti (Lecturer, Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies, University of Leeds) and Véronique Mottier (Director of Studies in Social and Political Sciences, Jesus College & Professor in Sociology, University of Lausanne)

Feminist Theory calls for papers for a special issue on feminism and the politics of reproduction, to be edited by Natalia Gerodetti and Véronique Mottier. The special issue is based upon the premise that there is a continued need for feminist analyses of reproduction, especially at a time when scientific possibilities, social practices and cultural representations around reproduction are continuously changing. Essays are invited that examine the ways in which reproduction has been or needs to be politicised as a feminist issue, and the implications of recent transformations in reproductive technologies for feminist agendas. We particularly welcome historical and comparative analyses of state regulation of reproductive capacities, of national anxieties around reproduction, of connections between reproductive practices and disability, and of cultural representations of reproduction. Contributors may come from a variety of disciplines, including political science, sociology, psychology, social anthropology, law, geography, or literature.

Some questions you might consider:

• What does feminist theory have to offer to debates on individual choice and reproductive freedom?
• What are the feminist implications of new reproductive technologies?
• How have public policies attempted to regulate reproduction? Have they been successful?
• What are the collective concerns around reproduction? Who is allowed to reproduce and who isn’t? Are fertility and heredity feminist issues?
• What is the relationship between national identity and reproduction?
• How are public debates on reproduction linked to processes of racialisation and social exclusion of, for example, migrants?
• How do reproductive practices by lesbian and gay couples challenge normative heterosexuality?
• How can we theorise masculinity in the context of reproduction?

The deadline for submission of articles is 1 March 2008.

Articles should be between 6000- 8000 words using the Harvard referencing system. All submissions will be refereed anonymously by at least two reviewers. Please send to Natalia Gerodetti, email n.gerodetti#leeds.ac.uk, and copy to Véronique Mottier, email vm10004#hermes.cam.ac.uk.

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