Local Babies, Global Science: Gender, Religion and In Vitro Fertilization in Egypt

In the Arab world, motherhood is glorified, childlessness is socially unacceptable, and adoption is religiously prohibited. How then do couples handle infertility?Local Babies, Global Scienceexamines in vitro fertilization among affluent couples in Egypt, and the implications for Arab and global society. Marcia Inhorn's beautifully written work shows how the transfer of IVF technology from Euro-American points of origin to Egypt reshapes the use of this science and how it is reshaping cultural ideas in Egypt. This book also offers a fascinating, eye-opening analysis of how Egyptians view the West--a timely contribution to the current conversation about the modern Islamic world and the West.

Marcia C. Inhorn is Associate Professor in the School of Public Health, Department of Anthropology, and Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor