Research on ethnic differences in understandings of and responses to reproductive technologies is limited. There are however, a small number of researchers from within anthropology, sociology and psychology who are working on this issue in relatively isolated, often small scale projects in the UK and other European countries.   Research in this area is not only of substantive interest but also has much to contribute to the wider research agenda addressing methodological issues in research within discourses of ethnic and cultural difference.

This colloquium is designed to bring together leading researchers and young researchers in the field of reproductive technologies and minority ethnic and migrant communities in the UK and European countries.  It is also intended to contribute to important contemporary debates surrounding the ethical, methodological and political questions which researching ethnic and cultural difference raises.  It is intended to address two key sets of issues:

1.         Ethical, political and methodological considerations in researching ethnic difference.  It is widely recognised by those engaged in the process that working with minority ethnic communities presents additional challenges for researchers. These   include issues of recruitment of participants; researcher identity and the impact of commonality and difference on data collection/analysis; translation and interpretation; research fatigue and issues of reciprocity when working with sometimes deprived or marginalised communities. This is an opportunity to discuss some of these issues in a collegiate environment, with people who have experience in this process, and to include others who would like to learn more from those who have such experience.

2.                  Reproductive Technologies and Ethnic/Cultural Diversity.   The emphasis here will be on infertility as disrupted reproduction and the technologies associated with assisted conception.  It will provide an opportunity for both researchers from a number of social science disciplines and practitioners to discuss ongoing research in this emerging field of study and to consider the potential policy and practice implications of research findings.

Day One

9.30

Registration / Coffee

10.00

Welcome

10.10

“What ‘Indian’ ought to be in England”: Improving awareness of the shortcomings of simple assessments of ethnicity

Saffron Karlsen, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London

10.50

Commonality and difference in research

Yasmin Gunaratnam, Senior Research Fellow, University of Central Lancashire

11.30

Coffee

11.45

Representation of ethnic minorities in research – necessity, chances and adverse effects

Professor Theda Borde, Alice Salomon Fachhochschule, University of Applied Science in Berlin

12.30

Lunch

1.30

Public engagement research: Methodological innovations and limitations with hard-to-reach communities

Sarah Parry, University of Edinburgh

2.15

Migrant outreach workers as interviewers: Experiences from the field

Dr Dineke Korfker, TNO Prevention and Health, Division of Child Health, Leiden, the Netherlands

3.00

Tea

3.15

Cultural and gender differences in reasons for parenthood

Satvinder Purewal, Aston University / Dr Olga van den Akker, Reader, Aston University

4.00

'Matching'relations: Biology, ethnicity and culture in public and professional discourses of gamete donation

Nicky Hudson, Research Fellow, De Montfort University / Dr Lorraine Culley, Reader, De Montfort University

4.45

Summary of Day One

5.00

Finish

Dinner at 7 pm

Day Two

9.15

Experience of Pakistani and white men with infertility and its treatment

Mushtaq Ahmed, Department of Clinical Genetics, St James’ Hospital, Leeds

10.00

Sex selection and ethnicity (Title TBC)

Jasber Singh, Deputy Director of Co-inquire, PEALS, Newcastle University

10.45

Coffee

11.00

IVF in Ireland: Practice and regulation in a Constitutional state

Evelyn Mahon, Trinity College, Dublin

11.45

IVF in a Jewish-Palestinian context: Politics, emotions, hope

Sigal Gooldin, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Haifa, Isreal

12.30

Lunch

1.30

Migration and the experience of infertile Turkish couples in the Netherlands

Floor Van Rooij, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam / Frank Van Balen, Associated Professor, Department of Education of the Social and Behavioural Sciences Faculty, University of Amsterdam

2.15

The seed, the soil and a little fertiliser: Turkish patients experiences of fertility treatments

Zeynep Gürtin-Broadbent, ESRC-funded PhD student, Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge

3.00

Tea

3.15

Discussion: Policy and Practice Implications

Directions for Future Research

4.00

Close