The inspiration for our conference title, “Re-worlding Reproduction: Navigating Emerging Knowledge, Politics, and Justice,” springs from the recent essay by Sabelo J Ndlovu-Gatsheni (2023). In his insightful piece, Ndlovu-Gatsheni advocates for a response to the entrenched colonial matrix of power through a process of “re-worlding” from the vantage point of the Global South. This re-worlding involves harnessing the forces of knowledge, power, resistance, and aspirations for freedom.
Our upcoming 2024 conference, “Re-worlding Reproduction,” aims to bridge the realms of reproduction practices and politics with ongoing global dialogues centred around decolonisation. This event serves as an invitation to esteemed scholars specialising in reproduction, hailing from diverse fields such as anthropology, sociology, public health, bioethics, STS (Science and Technology Studies), and studies of race, ethnicity, and gender.
“Re-worlding Reproduction” spotlights the pivotal contributions of scholars from the Global South. Their valuable perspectives challenge the dominant frames of reference surrounding reproduction in social theory. This includes shedding light on scholarly endeavours that disrupt prevailing narratives entrenched in biomedicine, health policy, and broader social discourses.
This conference is thoughtfully organised by two initiatives based in South Africa: “Re-imagining Reproduction” (housed at the University of Pretoria) and “Emerging Assisted Reproductive Markets in Southern Africa” (a collaborative effort involving Wits University, Monash University, and the University of Amsterdam).
The conference’s focal themes encompass:
Our event will be hosted at the distinguished Future Africa campus of the University of Pretoria. While the primary mode is an on-site gathering, provisions will be in place to accommodate hybrid presentations, embracing the evolving nature of scholarly discourse and exchange.