Dr. Laura Lazzari Vosti
Dr. Laura Lazzari is a Scholar in Motherhood Studies and the Medical Humanities. She works for the Sasso Corbaro Foundation for the the Medical Humanities, is a Research Scholar at the Department of Italian Studies at the University of Georgetown, a Faculty member at the Medical Humanities Initiative at Georgetown University.
Before joining the Sasso Corbaro Foundation for the Medical Humanities, she was a Research Scholar, Lecturer and Italian Program Coordinator at the Catholic University of America (2016-2019), the recipient of an AAUW International Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Department of Italian at Georgetown University (2015-2016), and a Professorial Lecturer in Italian Studies at George Washington University (2014-2024).
She studied Italian, French and History of Art at the University of Lausanne, where she obtained an MA in 2001. She also holds a Diploma of Teaching French as a Foreign Language from the same university (2000). In 2005 she was awarded a scholarship from Lausanne University, in order to spend a year at the University of Oxford, where she obtained a Master of Studies in Women’s Studies. In June 2009 she completed a PhD in Italian literature (Lausanne University), and an MA in Teaching (SUPSI, DFA).
As an Assistant Professor in Italian Studies at Franklin University Switzerland and Coordinator at the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (2011-2014) she taught several courses in Italian language, Italian Studies and Italian literature with a focus on gender studies, and carried out many different initiatives to enhance the Italian and Modern Languages curricula. Prior to joining Franklin University she worked as a graduate assistant in Italian literature at the University of Lausanne (2003-2008), and as a Lecturer at the University of Fribourg (2009-2011).
She has published on a wide range of subjects and has given papers in graduate schools and international conferences in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the United States.
Her interests in research revolve around autobiographies in the Renaissance period, women’s writings in the Italian-speaking world, migrant literature, motherhood studies, cultural studies, the medical humanities, pedagogy and language acquisition. She is a member of various associations, including the Collegium Romanicum, the Swiss Association of Romance languages.
Before joining the Sasso Corbaro Foundation for the Medical Humanities, she was a Research Scholar, Lecturer and Italian Program Coordinator at the Catholic University of America (2016-2019), the recipient of an AAUW International Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Department of Italian at Georgetown University (2015-2016), and a Professorial Lecturer in Italian Studies at George Washington University (2014-2024).
She studied Italian, French and History of Art at the University of Lausanne, where she obtained an MA in 2001. She also holds a Diploma of Teaching French as a Foreign Language from the same university (2000). In 2005 she was awarded a scholarship from Lausanne University, in order to spend a year at the University of Oxford, where she obtained a Master of Studies in Women’s Studies. In June 2009 she completed a PhD in Italian literature (Lausanne University), and an MA in Teaching (SUPSI, DFA).
As an Assistant Professor in Italian Studies at Franklin University Switzerland and Coordinator at the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (2011-2014) she taught several courses in Italian language, Italian Studies and Italian literature with a focus on gender studies, and carried out many different initiatives to enhance the Italian and Modern Languages curricula. Prior to joining Franklin University she worked as a graduate assistant in Italian literature at the University of Lausanne (2003-2008), and as a Lecturer at the University of Fribourg (2009-2011).
She has published on a wide range of subjects and has given papers in graduate schools and international conferences in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the United States.
Her interests in research revolve around autobiographies in the Renaissance period, women’s writings in the Italian-speaking world, migrant literature, motherhood studies, cultural studies, the medical humanities, pedagogy and language acquisition. She is a member of various associations, including the Collegium Romanicum, the Swiss Association of Romance languages.
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On March 27, Loïc Bourdeau – Head of French at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, former Associate Professor of Francophone Studies at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette – was invited to give a lecture entitled Words Fail: Textual Encounters with Ob/Gyn Violence at the American University in Washington DC. On this occasion, I had the pleasure to meet Professor Bourdeau who agreed to answer a few questions about his research on narrative medicine and obstetrical violence.
On March 27, Loïc Bourdeau – Head of French at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, former Associate Professor of Francophone Studies at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette – was invited to give a lecture entitled Words Fail: Textual Encounters with Ob/Gyn Violence at the American University in Washington DC. On this occasion, I had the pleasure to meet Professor Bourdeau who agreed to answer a few questions about his research on narrative medicine and obstetrical violence.
Nel contesto italiano la situazione è aggravata dal fatto che non poter avere figli è un tabù di cui non si discute apertamente e coloro che ricorrono alla procreazione assistita spesso lo fanno di nascosto. L’Italia ha, inoltre, una delle leggi più restrittive in materia (la cosiddetta “Legge 40”) e la Chiesa cattolica condanna apertamente questi trattamenti. In un’epoca in cui quasi tutto è considerato possibile, avere figli non è sempre facile, ovvio e “naturale,” come potrebbe sembrare, e la sterilità sta diventando una vera e propria piaga sociale. Tuttavia, è indicativo che nell’editoria e – spesso in forma anonima – su blog e forum, la questione abbia iniziato a essere discussa. Questi sono sintomi di un problema che esiste e sta finalmente cominciando a emergere e a essere affrontato.
Nel mio contributo prenderò in considerazione due romanzi contemporanei italiani, pubblicati dopo l’entrata in vigore della “Legge 40” – Confessioni di una aspirante madre di Lisa Corva (2005) e Le difettose di Eleonora Mazzoni (2012) – che raccontano la ricerca, a tratti disperata e ossessiva, della maternità attraverso la procreazione assistita. Le vicende legate al sogno di gravidanza delle protagoniste e le conseguenze derivanti dal fallimento delle tecniche di fecondazione in vitro saranno approfondite con l’ausilio di studi effettuati nell’ambito delle scienze sociali, tra cui quelli di Gayle Letherby, James H. Monach, Karen Throsby e Silvia Vegetti Finzi, nel tentativo di indagare il desiderio di maternità delle protagoniste dei romanzi, il percorso di rinegoziazione della “normalità” e la loro ridefinizione di identità femminile.
In my paper, I plan to discuss a selection of texts published in western countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy and Switzerland that deal with the experience of pregnancy and childbirth and advocate for a more human, holistic and evidence-based care in order to highlight the criteria for achieving an empowering birthing experience .
We will also discuss how communication between patients and practitioners could be enhanced, and how practices can successfully be revised to offer a better humanist care.
Rickie Solinger, Historian and Reproductive Justice Activist
Rossella Anitori and Darel Di Gregorio, Filmmakers (Surrogacy Underground, 2023)
Surrogacy has become a crucial and complex controversial issue in today’s society. It is a process fraught with ethical implications and consequences that concern, among many others, reproductive justice, women’s bodies and health, human rights, social class inequality, feminism, motherhood, masculinity, parenthood, and the concept of the family. While surrogacy is currently banned in several countries, its literary, cinematographic, and artistic representation has flourished in the past 20 years, contributing to stimulating debates that concern both the humanities and the medical humanities. This global symposium invites presentations on issues related to all aspects of surrogacy. How do literature, film, and visual art portray and problematize surrogacy? How does the media cover issues related to surrogacy, and how does the media affect and shape public opinion? We are interested in contributions that examine the practical and theoretical dimension of its representation, and address how the humanities are contributing to build bridges with the world of medicine to better respond to human and environmental needs. All interdisciplinary approaches are welcome as well as any transnational representation.
Interested scholars are invited to send their proposal in English including a title, 200-word abstract, and short bio by June 30, 2024 to Giulia Po DeLisle at [email protected] & Laura Lazzari at [email protected].
Presenters will be notified of acceptance by July 30, 2024.
Participation in this virtual conference is free and no registration will be required.
Presentations should be given in English.
Issues of procreation are the most troubling, disconcerting, confounding, divisive--and (therefore) interesting ones confronting feminism.
Barbara Katz Rothman, 1997
In recent years, the idea of reproductive justice has evolved into a powerful and comprehensive framework that addresses the long-standing debate of reproductive rights vis-a-vis its pro-choice vs. pro-life policies. Loretta J. Ross and Rickie Solinger contend that this framework extends beyond addressing this dichotomous debate to provide a unique and holistic understanding of reproductive autonomy by emphasizing three central principles: the right to/ not to have a child in addition to the right to parent children in secure and nurturing circumstances (2017: 9). A holistic approach to reproductive justice requires focused attention to its historical context, comprehending how societal norms, laws, and technological advancements have shaped the current understanding of reproduction (Ross and Solinger, 2017: 11). At the heart of this discourse lies the commodification of pregnancy and the exploitation of women as ‘wombs for hire’ (Kashyap and Tripathi, 2022: 384). The emergence of advancing reproductive technologies (ART, for instance) also challenges traditional notions of motherhood and family, raising debates about biology and family structures. While technological progress offers enhanced possibilities, it becomes an ancillary tool to socially, medically, and legally regulate women’s bodies and autonomy. A comprehensive understanding of reproductive justice also necessitates exploring the gendered and unequal burden imposed upon women concerning sterilization and contraceptive responsibility. In this context, a nuanced understanding of the intricate dynamics surrounding abortion rights is paramount. The ongoing debates surrounding women’s right to choose or not to choose an abortion pose significant questions concerning female autonomy and agency over their body and reproductive decisions. The repercussions of these inequalities extend beyond procreation, encompassing critical aspects of the reproductive journey such as menstruation and menopause.
Through this special issue, we aim to comprehensively address the various intricate dimensions of reproductive justice across disciplines and demographics, illuminating critical issues that shape reproductive autonomy and access to justice. From the ethical implications of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and surrogacy to the dimensions of motherhood, abortion, menstruation, and menopause, this special issue endeavors to tease out the nuances that critically shape reproductive autonomy and human rights in our contemporary world.
We welcome submissions in the form of scholarly articles, short essays, commentaries, feminist reflections, book and film reviews (please see the JIWS’ Policies and Submissions page for details on these genres here: https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/policies.html) that address the following topics with a specific focus on the discourses surrounding contraception, sterilization, infertility, ART and surrogacy, motherhood, abortion, pregnancy – including pregnancy loss – childbirth, postpartum, parenting, menstruation, and menopause. Submissions not directly under the purview of these categories but still relevant to the dialogue of Reproductive justice are also welcome.
Paper Guidelines:
Submissions to the Special Issue are governed by the guidelines of the JIWS, which can be found at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/policies.html#guidelines.
“Your article and all information should be in Times New Roman 12 font, single-spaced; left/right-justified; bold topic headings with no space between heading and paragraph including title, abstract, and author's name/s; two spaces between the author’s name/s and abstract. italicized subheadings (no numbers). Keywords should be italicized with the three (or more) key phrases, or words themselves should not be in italics. Follow APA or MLA citation styles or a style appropriate to your discipline; references/bibliographies, which should be single-spaced. The document should be carefully proofread for English grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Articles that do NOT conform to submission guidelines will be automatically rejected. Authors should consult recent editions for guidelines and send inquiries to the editor. Please note: this does not refer to your final draft but to the final version of your article once it is revised and resubmitted. Improperly formatted articles will be returned to the authors and must be received by the publication date to be included in the designated issue.”
Length:
Full-length articles should be between 7000 and 9000 words.
Book and film reviews should be between 1000 and 2500 words.
Short essays, commentaries, and feminist reflections should be between 2500 and 4000 words.
Submission and Important Dates:
Submission of full-length manuscript: 31st December 2023
Decision on submissions: 31st March 2024
Revisions, if any: 15th May 2024
We anticipate the publication date to be June/July 2024
All submissions should be emailed to both the editors, Dr. Priyanka Tripathi [email protected] and Dr. Laura Lazzari [email protected]
Authors should specifically mention the manuscript category (Articles, Book/Film Reviews, Short Essays, Commentaries, Feminist Reflections) in the email subject line.
Special Issue Editors:
Dr. Priyanka Tripathi is an Associate Professor at the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Patna (India). She is also the Co-Executive Editor of the Journal of International Women’s Studies (published by Bridgewater State University, USA). She was a Visiting Research Fellow (2022-23), at IASH, the University of Edinburgh for her project titled, “Optimizing Caste Intersectionality: A Decolonial Reading of Gender-based Violence in Select Subaltern Fiction in India”. Her forthcoming monograph with Bloomsbury is titled The Gendered War: Evaluating Feminist Ethnographic Narratives of the 1971 War of Bangladesh ( https://www.bloomsbury.com/in/gendered-war-9789354359019/). She works in the areas of Gender Studies and South Asian Fiction. Her ORCIDiD is https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9522-3391.
Dr. Laura Lazzari is a researcher in Motherhood Studies at the Sasso Corbaro Foundation for the Medical Humanities (CH) and Professorial Lecturer at George Washington University (USA). She holds a PhD from the University of Lausanne, an MA from the University of Oxford, and was the 2015-2016 recipient of the AAUW International Postdoctoral Fellowship at Georgetown University. Her current research revolves around representations of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum in contemporary literature. Among her publications are a monograph on Lucrezia Marinella (Insula, 2010) a special volume on To Be or Not to Be a Mother: Choice, Refusal, Reluctance and Conflict. Motherhood and Female Identity in Italian Literature and Culture (“intervalla”, 1, 2016), Motherhood and Trauma in Contemporary Literature and Culture (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), and The Palgrave Handbook of Reproductive Justice and Literature (2022).
References
J. Ross, L., and Solinger, R. (2017). Reproductive Justice: An Introduction. California: University of California Press.
Kashyap, S., and Tripathi, P. (2022). Beyond baby-making: review of the film Mimi (2021). Media Asia, 49(4), 383-386. https://doi.org/10.1080/01296612.2022.2045829.
Katz-Rothman, B. (1997). Review. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 22, 1052-1056.
Contact Information
All submissions should be emailed to both the editors, Dr. Priyanka Tripathi [email protected] and Dr. Laura Lazzari [email protected]
The panel investigates how pregnancy loss is perceived, experienced, and narrated in a variety of cultural and literary productions. Topics that can be considered may include stories of childbirth and loss in the first, second or third trimester, experiences of traumatic/empowering abortions, and writing about loss to heal, inform, educate, advocate, overcome trauma, empower, and change medical protocols, among others. Papers aim at bringing new light to various experiences of pregnancy loss in contemporary world, an event that – despite its frequency – is still a taboo in today society.
Submit your abstract through the NeMLA website:
Organizers:
Laura Lazzari, Sasso Corbaro Foundation for the Medical Humanities, Switzerland ([email protected])
Giulia Po DeLisle, UMass Lowell ([email protected])
by Laura Lazzari and Beth Widmaier Capo and published by Palgrave Macmillan.
This handbook will include essays of 8,000-10,000 words each that analyze reproductive justice issues as they play out across and through literature. Essays may consider any period, genre, or cultural context in literature, but must situate the works in the specific reproductive justice framework (i.e. if discussing surrogacy within contemporary American novels, the relevant legal and social framework should be clearly explained).
This text is meant to be a resource to scholars, teachers, and students in a wide range of fields, including literature and social justice, literature and reproduction, cultural studies, women’s and gender studies, literature and law, reproductive rights and gender justice, literature and gender, literature and human rights, and motherhood studies.
Please send a 500 word abstract, 3-5 keywords, and a short biography by March 15, 2020 to [email protected] and [email protected]. We are happy to answer any questions.
La maternità e il suo rapporto con la creatività, soggettività e identità femminili, le relazioni (a volte conflittuali) fra madri e figli/figlie sono argomenti che sono stati affrontati in modo approfondito nell’ambito letterario, filosofico e artistico italiano del Novecento.
Il panel intende indagare come la rappresentazione della maternità metta in luce, amplifichi e descriva con efficacia molte delle problematiche connesse all’esperienza migratoria. In particolare, si vuole analizzare come il tema della maternità sia stato sviluppato nelle opere delle autrici “migranti” nella realtà italiana e italo-americana, in un’ottica storica, sociale e simbolica. Nel corso del panel approfondiremo similitudini, peculiarità e differenze che caratterizzano alcune forme di rappresentazione della “migrazione” rispetto al contesto italiano precedente. In quale modo il tema della maternità – reale o simbolica – caratterizza le esperienze di vita delle protagoniste e delle autrici? Quali sono le modalità prescelte per rappresentare il rapporto tra maternità reale e simbolica e consapevolezza di sé? Quale rapporto esiste fra maternità e identità plurima?
Il tema sarà considerato sotto tre sfere principali. La prima tratterà gli aspetti biologici e relazionali insiti nella maternità, intesa come esperienza concreta di vita. Gli argomenti potranno spaziare dalla gravidanza, al parto, al rapporto con i figli e con le figlie e prendere in esame come questo sia influenzato dall’appartenenza a generazioni e culture diverse. La seconda e la terza sfera sono d’ordine simbolico e linguistico e intendono mettere in relazione il rapporto fra le autrici, la madre-patria e la lingua materna. In quale rapporto viene messa la maternità con la lingua, mezzo di comunicazione e mezzo artistico, e l’identità delle protagoniste e delle artiste? Quali aspetti vengono evidenziati e quali taciuti nelle opere che trattano il problematico rapporto tra le proprie lingue e i propri luoghi di appartenenza? I contributi potranno prendere in considerazione campi artistici e culturali diversi, dal cinema alla letteratura, dalle arti visive alla musica, alla cultura popolare.
Le persone interessate a presentare un intervento nell’ambito del panel sono pregate di inviare un “abstract” di 250 parole in italiano o inglese e una breve biografia a Giusy Di Filippo ([email protected]) e Laura Lazzari ([email protected]) entro il 10 dicembre 2014.
The aim is to study how these themes have been presented across periods and genres, using different methodologies and from a variety of perspectives. We welcome papers on Italian poetry, prose, theatre, music, forums and blogs, and topics could include childlessness/childfreeness, maternal violence against children, difficult child/mother relationships, surrogacy and IVF. A range of methodologies are encouraged, such as: gender, cultural or Jewish studies, psychoanalysis, philosophy, social science and history, among others.
Please send an abstract of 200-300 words in English or Italian to Laura Lazzari and Joy Charnley by November 30, 2014. Final submissions in English or Italian should be no more than 7,000 words, including endnotes, and must be submitted by April 30, 2015. References should follow the MLA style. All essays will be peer-reviewed. Please submit your final articles in a Word document.
Volume Editors:
Dr. Joy Charnley
Independent Scholar, Glasgow
[email protected]
Dr. Laura Lazzari
Assistant Professor, Franklin University Switzerland;
Affiliate Researcher, Georgetown University
[email protected]
- Realtà e stereotipi della Svizzera italiana
- Identità e politica
- Identità e arte
- Identità e letteratura
- Identità ed economia
- Identità e frontiera
- Lingua e dialetti
- Conflitti con i vicini (la questione dei frontalieri, lo sciopero delle Officine di Bellinzona…)
- Minoranze (linguistiche, culturali…) e complesso d’inferiorità
Le persone interessate a presentare un intervento sono pregate di inviare un abstract di 200 parole e una breve biografia, in italiano o inglese, a Laura Lazzari ([email protected]) entro il 30 novembre 2013.
- La rappresentazione della mamma italiana
- Il ruolo materno all’interno della famiglia
- Essere donna ed essere madre: due identità conflittuali?
- Il tema dell’aborto
- Donne senza figli
- Madri adottive
- Maternità surrogata
- Maternità a tutti i costi
- Maternità e guerra
- Maternità e migrazione
- Rapporti fra madre e figli/figlie
Le persone interessate a presentare un intervento sono pregate di inviare un abstract di 200 parole e una breve biografia, in italiano o inglese, a Laura Lazzari ([email protected]) entro il 30 novembre 2013.
Incontri a cura di Laura Lazzari Vosti in live streaming su Zoom e in diretta su Facebook.
Gli incontri proposti continuano i dialoghi interdisciplinari sui tabù della maternità avviati nel 2022. Da qualche anno le tematiche legate all'esperienza materna emergono come veri e propri temi letterari, uscendo dagli ambiti specialistici e disciplinari in cui erano confinati. Dopo aver discusso di infertilità, tecniche di fecondazione assistita, CRISPR, violenza ostetrica e depressione post-parto, i «Mercoledì della Fondazione Sasso Corbaro», ispirandosi alle Medical Humanities e ai Motherhood Studies, propongono due nuovi appuntamenti nei quali, come di consueto, una scrittrice discuterà i temi trattati nel suo libro con una figura professionale esperta. In un'ottica divulgativa e interdisciplinare, approfondiremo il tema del lutto perinatale e dell'infanticidio materno, discutendo le implicazioni nell'ambito della cura, le conseguenze sulla vita delle madri, possibili rimedi e soluzioni.
PROGRAMMA
Gli incontri inizieranno alle 20:30
Mercoledì 9 marzo 2022
In becco alla cicogna! Fertilità e tecniche di fecondazione assistita
Durante il primo incontro discuteremo desiderio di maternità, infertilità e tec- niche di procreazione assistita con la scrittrice e attrice italiana Eleonora Mazzoni – autrice del romanzo “Le difettose” (Einaudi, 2012; ristampato nel 2021) e del saggio “In becco alla cicogna” (Biglia Blu, 2016) – e con il medico Alessandro Santi, primario al Centro Cantonale di Fertilità di Locarno.
Mercoledì 23 marzo 2022
In utero: procreazione umana tra etica e progresso scientifico
Nella seconda serata discuteremo gli scenari presenti, futuri e futuristici in ambito scientifico e indagheremo le loro implicazioni etiche nel campo della fecondazione umana. I nostri ospiti saranno Marta Baiocchi, scrittri- ce e biologa all’Istituto Superiore di Sanità di Roma – autrice del roman- zo “Cento micron” (minimum fax, 2012) e del saggio “In utero” (Sonzogno, 2018) – e il Professor Alberto Bondolfi, Emerito di Etica all’Università di Ginevra.
Giovedì 28 aprile 2022
Volevo andare a partorire in Olanda: violenza ostetrica e trauma da parto
Nel nostro terzo incontro discuteremo gravidanza, violenza ostetrica e trauma da parto con la docente e scrittrice ticinese Isabella Pelizzari Villa – autrice del saggio autobiografico: “Volevo andare a partorire in Olanda. Storia di un taglio cesareo annunciato” (Tipoprint SA, edizioni Vignalunga Mendrisio, 2018) – e la dottoressa Monya Todesco Bernasconi, primaria di ginecologia e ostetricia all’Ospedale Cantonale di Aarau.
Mercoledì 25 maggio 2022
Di materno avevo solo il latte: disagio materno e depressione post-parto
Nella serata conclusiva discuteremo di disagio materno, disturbo da stress post-traumatico, baby-blues e depressione post-parto con la scrittrice Deborah Papisca – autrice del saggio autobiografico: “Di materno avevo solo il latte” (Dalai, 2011; edizione aggiornata: LuoghInteriori, 2021) – e Maria Statti Perugini, psicologa e psicoterapeuta FSP.