Substantial Relations: Making Global Reproductive Medicine in Postcolonial India

Substantial Relations explores the global reproductive medicine landscape in India, focusing on in vitro fertilization (IVF). It traces India's role from a provider of raw materials to a producer of knowledge and technology, and a creator of a thriving medical market. The book provides insights into the contemporary making of IVF in Delhi through ethnographic research, depicting IVF users' quest for offspring and their concerns about establishing unwanted ties. It also analyzes the various relations that the IVF sector in India has relied on and generated, contributing to a broader understanding of reproductive medicine as a global phenomenon.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 15 December 2021
Publisher: Cornell University Press

Substantial Relations: Examining Global Reproductive Medicine in India

India has played a pivotal yet evolving role in shaping global reproductive medicine since the 1970s. Initially serving as a provider of raw materials, it has transitioned to becoming a knowledge and technology producer, and subsequently, a thriving medical market that attracts patients worldwide. Through the use of archival material and oral history, Sandra Bärnreuther's book, Substantial Relations, traces the intricate transnational historical trajectory of this evolution.

In addition to exploring the historical context, Substantial Relations delves into the contemporary landscape of in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Delhi. Drawing on ethnographic research conducted in homes, hospitals, and laboratories, Bärnreuther offers profound insights into the complexities of clinical life and everyday experiences of IVF users. She vividly portrays their quest for offspring and the fears they harbor about establishing unwanted ties, as well as the minute engagements between clinicians and laboratory staff with reproductive substances.

By thinking through substances—both metaphorically and materially—Bärnreuther provides a novel and rich analysis of the various relations that the burgeoning IVF sector in India has relied on and generated. This book contributes to a broader understanding of reproductive medicine as a global phenomenon that is constantly in the making, positioning India at the center of this process rather than on the periphery.

Through its comprehensive exploration of global reproductive medicine in India, Substantial Relations offers valuable insights into the complex interplay between medicine, technology, and society. It sheds light on the historical, social, and cultural factors that have shaped India's role in this field and highlights the ongoing transformations that are shaping the future of reproductive health worldwide.

Weight: 302g
Dimension: 152 x 229 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501758195