An Artistic Autoethnography on the Public Fetus explores artistic work with the iconic image of the fetus and the personal consequences of the image by analyzing the so-called public fetus within a feminist approach.

This book develops a deeply interdisciplinary body of research, engaging with feminist debates on reproductive technology and imagery, art theory, visual histories of anatomical imagery, cultural critiques of the myth of the artistic genius, Gestalt understandings of perception and memory, and anthropological theories of liminality. Through blurring the artistic with the scientific, it explores the potential of autoethnography to serve as a form of conscious raising through which to create new images and stories that counter the public fetus in support of reproductive autonomy and social justice.

This book will be useful to feminist scholars who work with issues related to gender, reproduction, sexuality, and autoethnography. At the same time, the book will be of value to undergraduate and graduate students in gender studies as an example of how an autoethnographic process can make unrecognized experiences of gender known to a person.

About the Author

Anna Gonzalez Suero is an artistic autoethnographer working in an interdisciplinary way to expand on feminist theories of the body.

Reviews

"This is a fascinating story of how an artist's keen eye translates a deep cultural understanding of the public fetus into an image needing deconstructing, politicising and a controversial re-think. The story is heartwarming, believable and engaging." -- Elizabeth Ettorre, Emerita Professor of Sociology, University of Liverpool, UK

"An Artistic Autoethnography on the Public Fetus takes the reader on a series of imaginative, surprising and thought-provoking journeys. The image of the fetus and the practices of ultrasound on non-pregnant bodies provide entry points into a diverse range of topics: creativity and how it can be blocked; debates around reproductive rights; explorations of hybridity and liminality in relation to the self and others. Ultimately, Gonzalez Suero finds both critical and creative possibilities in her autoethnography, revealing new feminist perspectives on the image of the fetus, and a deeper understanding of the artistic process." -- Catherine Grant, Reader of Modern and Contemporary Art, Courtauld Institute of Art, UK

'This is a fascinating story of how an artist's keen eye translates a deep cultural understanding of the public fetus into an image needing deconstructing, politicizing and a controversial re-think. The story is heartwarming, believable and engaging.' -- Elizabeth Ettorre, Emerita Professor of Sociology, University of Liverpool, UK

'An Artistic Autoethnography on the Public Fetus takes the reader on a series of imaginative, surprising and thought-provoking journeys. The image of the fetus and the practices of ultrasound on non-pregnant bodies provide entry points into a diverse range of topics: creativity and how it can be blocked; debates around reproductive rights; explorations of hybridity and liminality in relation to the self and others. Ultimately, Gonzalez Suero finds both critical and creative possibilities in her autoethnography, revealing new feminist perspectives on the image of the fetus, and a deeper understanding of the artistic process.' -- Catherine Grant, Reader of Modern and Contemporary Art, Courtauld Institute of Art, UK

Book Information
ISBN 9781032815794
Author Anna Gonzalez Suero
Format Hardback
Page Count 144
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd