Stories of donor conceptions have become widespread in cinema, literature, and the media: they tell us about sperm or egg donors, parents seeking donors, donor-conceived children, and the industry of insemination through both its regulated and unregulated market. While narratives of giving birth, being a parent, or raising a child can strike a chord with readers or listeners across the whole world, stories of donor conceptions also reflect geographical differences, as legislation varies greatly across different countries, creating different conditions to access sperm or egg donations and go through the process of having a baby through non-natural insemination.
This project looks at films, documentaries, podcasts, social media posts, blogs, newspaper articles, and printed literature about donor conceptions in Italy, France, and the UK. It consists of three workshops (one in each country) to start mapping this growing production of stories and initiate a discussion between academic and non-academic participants with the aim to find common grounds and questions and to reflect on the power of stories across different sectors.
Core team:
Beatrice Sica (University College London)
Silvia Contarini (Paris-Nanterre)
Ramona Onnis (Paris-Nanterre)
Manuela Spinelli (Rennes 2)
Lara Michelacci (Bologna)