Short Abstract:

Reproductive mobility – whether for abortion, surrogacy, or ARTs – raises key questions about cross-border care. This panel explores how legal, medical, and cultural contexts impact reproductive experiences, and how mobility, activism, and support networks challenge dominant reproductive narratives.

Long Abstract:

In the 21st century, reproduction is increasingly shaped by globalization, migration, conflicts, and mobility. As individuals move across borders for reproductive healthcare, they encounter different legal, medical, and cultural landscapes, such as in Europe, the Americas, or Asia, where accessibility, legality, and mobility intersect with state control, identity, and power. This mobility reveals disparities in care access and shows how transnational politics and societal norms influence the flow of people, medications, and knowledge. This panel aims to “unwrite” dominant narratives by examining reproductive mobility's fluidity through geographical, cultural, and (non-)normative lenses.

We welcome submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following questions: How does reproductive mobility redefine borders, legal frameworks, and the right to autonomy? What role do activist movements play in advocating for reproductive rights across different legal and cultural contexts, and how do they confront stigmatization? How do support networks, from grassroots organizations to digital communities, aid individuals navigating cross-border reproductive journeys? How do such movements shape the lives of those seeking reproductive justice, and what alternative narratives do they create around reproduction, kinship, and body politics? What historical and contemporary examples illustrate the transformation of reproductive norms due to (im)mobility across time and space?

We invite papers from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including anthropology, sociology, cultural and gender studies, medical humanities, and legal studies. We encourage theoretical, empirical, and case-study-based approaches, focusing on interdisciplinary and transnational perspectives. Papers may explore how reproductive (im)mobility shapes movements and redefines borders and legal frameworks.

This Panel has so far received 6 paper proposal(s).
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