New Representations of Motherhood in the Literature of the New Millennium (Part 1) (Roundtable)


Women's and Gender Studies / Comparative Literature

Laura Lazzari, The Sasso Corbaro Foundation for the Medical Humanities (Switzerland) (Georgetown University)

Compared to a few decades ago, the birth rate in many Western countries has dramatically decreased and the roles and representations of maternal figures have changed significantly. Through IVF, gamete donation and surrogacy, motherhood is no longer defined univocally, and family structures have evolved accordingly. This panel seeks at investigating how biotechnology, social and family changes, law, and religion inform the representations of motherhood in the literature of the new millennium from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Compared to a few decades ago, the birth rate in many Western countries has dramatically decreased and the roles and representations of maternal figures have changed significantly. Through IVF, gamete donation and surrogacy, motherhood is no longer defined univocally, and family structures have evolved accordingly. This panel seeks at investigating how biotechnology, social and family changes, law, and religion inform the representations of motherhood in the literature of the new millennium from an interdisciplinary perspective.