International Research Seminar in Sociology on ' Altruistic Pragmatism. Social understandings of surrogate motherhood in Russia '

On June 23, Veronika Siegl (research fellow and PhD student at the University of Bern/ Switzerland (Institute of Social Anthropology) and visiting researcher at the School of Sociology, HSE) will give a talk at the International Research Seminar in Sociology.

Topic: Altruistic Pragmatism. Social understandings of surrogate motherhood in Russia

Abstract: While Russia has a long history of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), the legal framework concerning these developments remains minimalistic and does not adequately protect the rights and ensure the duties of the actors involved. This presentation sheds light on those actors who are often perceived as the weakest links in global and local reproduction chains – surrogate mothers. Presenting first findings from my ongoing ethnographic research, I will explore the experiences of these women in Russia, investigating how they accommodate themselves to the lack of regulation and how they negotiate discourses of altruism and commercialisation. Taking into account studies on surrogacy that have been conducted in other regional contexts, I will further ask for the specificities of the post-Soviet space and discuss ways of conceptualising the complex power relations pervading reproductive intimacies. 

Working language of the seminar is English.

All HSE staff and students are welcome to attend!

Start time: 6 p.m.

Address: Myasnitskaya 9/11, room 329-a