This three day conference aims to bring together scholars working across a range of disciplines, time periods and global perspectives to examine perceptions of pregnancy throughout history. We welcome papers considering a range of issues, including, but not limited to,
Pregnancy, including the pregnant body and the experience of pregnancy
Unlawful pregnancy, including rape, incest and sexual abuse
Fertility and infertility, including IVF, miscarriage and still-birth
Abortion and contraception, including pro-life and pro-choice debate
Parenthood, single parenthood, and infanticide.
Potential themes for discussion are:
Magic, ritual and religion
Technology and medicine
Gender, including male involvement and experiences
Government policy and politics
Work life, domesticity and childcare.
300-word proposals for twenty-minute papers should be sent to the conference organisers by 1 February 2014. We welcome postgraduate papers. Informal enquiries can be directed to Dr Jennifer Evans (j.evans5@herts.ac.uk) and Dr Ciara Meehan (c.meehan2@herts.ac.uk).Updates will be added to http://perceptionsofpregnancy.wordpress.com/
Keynote Speakers:Professor Joanne Bailey(Oxford Brooks University)Dr Elaine Farrell(Queen’s University Belfast)