Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on how development projects, raising awareness on the use of contraception, are perceived locally by the subjects involved. Through ethnography research, I analyze how these projects influence and are influenced by local gender and generation patterns in southern Benin.

Paper long abstract:

In many contexts in Africa, and especially in Benin where I carried out ethnographic research, there are numerous projects aimed at promoting women's 'development' and 'emancipation', through the promotion of reproductive, maternal and child health services, and through awareness-raising on the use of contraceptive methods. The aim of this paper is to investigate how these projects are perceived locally and what are the polyvocal and polysemous points of view of the people involved. Emphasis will be placed on individual subjectivities’ strategies and on their agency, even in cases where the latter is subtle and does not necessarily result in practices of rejection or resistance. Local beliefs emphasize the importance of reproduction, descendance and existential continuity with the ancestors. These beliefs play a role in the construction of gender identities. In these scenario it might seem contradictory that the same women who claim to want as many children as possible also show interest in modern contraceptive methods. However, contraception is actually sometimes considered by subjectivities as an integral part of their reproductive trajectories. This local interpretation is also reflected at the level of development programs, where the term ‘family planning’ is used in place of ‘contraception’. Indeed, even though many projects on reproduction are written with a top-down approach, it is interesting to observe that the local operators’ cultural background can make a difference with respect to the original goals set up for a project, ultimately affecting its implementation on the field.