ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book makes the case for the anthropology of reproduction and the importance and necessity of anthropologically informed thought and action in our current moment of global emergencies. It offers a critical overview of the anthropology of egg provision, illustrated with examples from ethnographic work on transnational surrogacy in India and on Asian American women's experiences of infertility, ARTs, and egg donation. The chapter explains how skeletal remains can provide direct evidence of patterns of infant feeding and provide insight into subsistence changes, fertility, and demographic patterns of past populations. It explores the shifting roles of grandmothers in global reproductive strategies from a sociocultural perspective. The book integrates depth with breadth so that reproduction is regarded within both the specific contexts of people's lives and the larger human experience.
