Thai in Vitro

Andrea Whittaker is an ARC Future Fellow and Convenor of Anthropology at Monash University. She is a medical anthropologist whose most recent publications include Abortion, Sin and the State in Thailand (2004) and Abortion in Asia: Local dilemmas, global politics (ed., Berghahn Books 2010).

“Andrea Whittaker’s Thai in Vitro is a superb ethnography of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) and how knowledge concerning infertility is produced and circulated in the encounter between individuals seeking treatment and medical professionals. The book is an important contribution to anthropological studies of reproductive health and the anthropology of Thailand, and it is relevant to anthropologists and sociologists as well as to public health and STS scholars… In addition to being a refined theoretical analysis of the subject, it also works as a model example of ethnographic research methods.” • Medical Anthropology Quarterly“The book is of a highly detailed ethnographical spirit but also offers insightful theoretical analysis. I would highly recommend reading this book to anyone who is seeking to understand the inner workings of Thai society. Its implications go well beyond its subject matter.” • Newbooks.asia“…an important contribution to the growing field of social studies of infertility treatment… Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are now routine throughout the world, and it is crucial that we learn more about how they gain a foothold in particular countries.” • Ayo Wahlberg, University of Copenhagen“This is a splendid piece of scholarly work, and demonstrates the discipline of anthropology and of fine-grained ethnographic research and critically reflexive analysis at its best. It fills a much needed gap in the anthropology of Thailand and in the provision of solid ethnographic data on the topic of assisted reproduction more generally.” • Graham Fordham, Australian National University“[This book] is scholarly and extremely well researched but is also very readable and beautifully written… It is accessible but also respectful to all previous work which it engages with, and summarizes, very well.” • Heather Montgomery, The Open University

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsNotes on Language and TransliterationAbbreviationsIntroduction: Culture MediumsChapter 1. The Birth of IVF in ThailandChapter 2. IncompletenessChapter 3. Begging for BabiesChapter 4. Engaging TechnologiesChapter 5. The Clinical EnsembleChapter 6. Patriarchal BargainsChapter 7. ‘Love Clinic’: Cyber-socialityChapter 8. ‘Technology that gives men hope’Chapter 9. Carrying the MeritConclusionAppendixGlossaryReferencesIndex