Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses the infertility treatment clinic waiting room in terms of the projection of varied cultural notions regarding reproduction. The waiting room comes to be projected as the ‘face’ of the infertility clinic, and is actively used to market it. I wish to look at this space in terms of how the personnel, patients and visitors ‘perform’ within it, including acts of trespassing and subversion.

Paper long abstract:

This paper analyses the infertility treatment clinic waiting room in terms of the projection of varied cultural notions regarding reproduction. By pandering to both Indian notions of childlessness as a stigma, and endorsing biomedical interventions in reversing it--the waiting room becomes the symbol of secrecy and cure.

Anthropological studies of clinics and clinical spaces have looked at how the medical 'gaze' penetrates and registers its dominance over non-practitioners. The waiting room of clinics and hospitals are often the source of this medical gaze.

During my fieldwork on commercial gestational surrogacy in ART (assisted reproductive technologies) clinics in Northern India, I find that the waiting room is used to 'display' the clinic. Thus, the display board is used for both advertising and legitimacy. Legitimacy also comes from: the number of occupants, and the 'visual eulogies' to the specialist(s) (framed degrees, press clippings, etc.).

The study also looks at how the waiting room as a physical space is meant to mediate access and entry to the specialist and doctor. It is here that the clinic's bureaucratic structure tends to operate and makes its presence felt.

Thus the waiting room comes to be projected as the 'face' of the ART clinic, and is actively used to market it. Drawing from Goffman, I wish to look at this space in terms of how the personnel, patients and visitors 'perform' within it, including acts of trespassing and subversion.