Reproducing Masculinities: Islam, IVF-ICSI, and Middle Eastern Manhood

Marcia Inhorn’s project investigates the intersecting domains of “Islamic masculinity” and “Islamic bioethics” as they are manifested in the realm of reproductive technoscience in the Middle Eastern region. Drawing upon Islamic fatwa literature, Middle Eastern gender scholarship, Arabic-language popular literature, and Middle Eastern men’s own reproductive narratives and oral histories (collected from more than 250 men), the project examines how differences in Islamic legal opinion are shaping notions of manhood in Middle Eastern societies where new biotechnologies of assisted conception are being introduced.