Local Babies, Global Science: Gender, Religion and In Vitro Fertilization in Egypt [Paperback]

Marcia C. Inhorn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0415944171 | ISBN-13: 978-0415944175

In the late 1990s, Egypt experienced a boom period in in vitro fertilization (IVF) technology and now boasts more IVF clinics than neighboring Israel. In this book, Marcia Inhorn writes of her fieldwork among affluent, elite couples who sought in vitro fertilization in Egypt, a country which is not only at the forefront of IVF technology in the Middle East, but also a center of Islamic education in the region. Inhorn examines the gender, scientific, religious and cultural ramifications of the transfer of IVF technology from Euro-American points of origin to Egypt - showing how cultural ideas reshape the use of this technology and in turn, how the technology is reshaping cultural ideas in Egypt.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Marcia Inhorn's fascinating and humane analysis shows us how the specificity of Islamic values, Egyptian class and patriarchal relations, and Middle Eastern medical and scientific networks combine to produce a new framework for high-tech reproduction. Beautifully written, this book demonstrates the potency and power of combining feminist critique with medical anthropology and science studies. It will take its place among the classic analyses of the politics of reproduction.
–Rayna Rapp, author of Testing Women, Testing the Fetus: The Social Impact of Amniocentesis in America

Clear and beautifully written.the scholarship is impeccable.a page turner. Local Babies, Global Science provides a birds-eye-view of the 'global elite,' how they function and think about the new reproductive technologies, and the actions they take. The incisive analysis of how Egyptians view the West, especially in the U.S., and how they view these technologies as practiced in their homeland and abroad is fascinating.
–Gay Becker, author of The Elusive Embryo: How Men and Women Approach New Reproductive Technologies

About the Author

Marcia C. Inhorn is Associate Professor with joint appointments in the School of Public Health and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (April 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415944171
• ISBN-13: 978-0415944175
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #680,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)