Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Politics in Contemporary Times: Contestations and Assertions

This edited volume, for which Palgrave Macmillan has expressed initial interest, examines how sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are contested, asserted, and (re)imagined across contemporary political, social, technological, and transnational landscapes. Moving beyond conventional public health framings, it engages political-sociological and interdisciplinary discourses to conceptualize Sexual and Reproductive Politics (SRP). The volume documents how political regimes, institutions, movements, civil society actors, and emerging technologies (re)shape SRHR discourse and praxis, enabling or constraining rights and justice.

How do contemporary events (armed conflicts; forced migrations; climate change; COVID-19 pandemic; resurgent conservative/ authoritarian/ religious regimes; misinformation; and exclusionary techno-digital SRHR initiatives), (re)shape SRHR? How do socio-political movements, institutional endeavours, transnational processes, menstrual rights recognition, LGBTIQA+ organisations, and civil society interventions, (re) imagine SRHR praxis? In what ways are marginalized groups disproportionately affected? What methodologies efficiently capture the complexities of SRHR justice? These are some questions chapters are invited to ponder upon.

This volume consists of the following parts:

Part I. Understanding Concepts and Methodological Foundations in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

• Approaches to Studying SRHR
• Biopolitics, Bioethics and the Governed Bodies
• Decolonial Approaches to Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Governance.
• Intersectionality as Method: Caste, Class, Race, Indigeneity, Gender (Identity), Sexuality and others in SRHR
• From "Health" to "Politics": Repositioning SRHR within Sexual and Reproductive Politics
• Others

Part II: Political Regimes, Institutions and Governance in SRHR Discourse and Praxis

• Authoritarianism, Religious Conservatism and the Rollback of Reproductive Rights
• Populism, Nationalism and Pronatalist Demographic Control
• Courts as Battlegrounds: Constitutionalizing and De-constitutionalizing SRHR
• Institutional Policy Endeavours: Successes, Gaps and Contradictions
• COVID-19 and Crisis Governance: Disruptions and Interventions in SRHR
• Others

Part III. Civil Society and Movements in SRHR Discourse and Praxis

• Feminist and Queer Movements Reclaiming Reproductive Autonomy (global south scholarships are encouraged)
• Marriage Equality and Other LGBTIQA+ Assertions in SRHR (e.g., Thailand, Taiwan, Argentina)
• Menstrual Rights Movements and Civil Society Advocacy
• Grassroots and Community Interventions
• Trans and Intersex Medical Interventions and SRHR
• Others

Part IV. Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Justice in Contemporary Times

• Concepts, Methods and Approaches in SRHR and Justice
• Abortion Law Reforms and Debates: Decriminalization, Criminalization, and Recriminalization (e.g. Poland, Latin America, Indonesia, United States, China, India, Nepal)
• Contraceptive Access, Choice and Structural Barriers
• Menstrual Health as a Fundamental Right: Jurisprudence and Everyday Praxis
• Climate Change as a Reproductive Issue
• Others

Part V. Violence, Conflict, Displacement and SRHR

• SRHR in Conflict-Affected Regions (Africa, MENA, South Asia)
• Gender-Based and Sexual Violence
• Forced Migration, Refugee Camps and Reproductive Health Access
• War, Humanitarian Emergencies and the Collapse of SRHR Infrastructure
• Others

Part VI. SRHR and Techno-Digital Developments

• Techno-Digital SRHR Initiatives: Inclusion, Exclusion and Design Bias
• Telemedicine, SRHR Applications, and the Politics of Digital Access
• Surveillance, Data Governance and the Reproductive Body Online
• Intersectional and Decolonial Perspectives
• Misinformation and Digital Politics in SRHR
• Assisted Reproductive Technologies and SRHR
• Others

Part VII. Marginalized communities, Regional Perspectives and Transnationalization of SRHR

• Disability, Bodily Autonomy and Reproductive Rights
• SRHR Among Sexual and Gender Minorities
• SRHR Among Indigenous/ Tribals/ Adivasis, Ethnic Minority
• SRHR in Less Developed/ Global South regions
• North-South Dynamics: Aid, Policy Transfer and Reproductive Sovereignty
• Global Governance, International Law and Norm Diffusion
• Cross-Border Reproductive Mobility and “Abortion Tourism”
• Transnational Advocacy Networks and SRHR Diplomacy
• Others

Abstracts are invited on the above / related themes.

We encourage abstracts focusing on women, indigenous, LGBTIQA+ and migrant populations, global south perspectives and other marginalized sections/ regions. Scholars, early-career researchers, practitioners, and activists working across disciplines (political science, sociology, anthropology, law, public health, gender studies, STS, history, and related fields) are encouraged to submit. We particularly welcome contributions from authors based in the Global South and from historically marginalized communities.

Submissions are invited in the following formats:

• Empirical Research Chapters
• Theoretical & Conceptual Papers
• Policy Analyses & Case Studies
• Methodological Reflections (challenges and ethics of SRHR fieldwork and others)
• Practitioner Reflections (grounded perspectives from the field)

Submission Guidelines:

Deadline: 15th Nov, 2026.

Abstract guidelines: Include chapter’s main argument, methods and supporting evidence, and in-line references to key literature and theorists. Please include an indicative list of references (APA 7th edition style, single page) at the end of the abstract, and keywords (4-6).

Word limit and format: 350-500 words (excluding keywords and references), using Calibri 11 font, typed with single space.

Suggested abstract template: i) Title, ii) Brief overview/ background/ introduction, iii) Primary objective(s), iv) Main argument(s), v) Methods, vi) Supporting evidence, vii) Key/ preliminary findings (if applicable), viii) Keywords (4-6), (ix) Indicative single page reference.

Author details: Include full name, institutional affiliation (or community/organization), email address, a 75–100 word bio.

You may submit your abstract via email or upload it to the link provided below

Submission: Single Word document named "EVPM Title of Abstract_NAME ".Subject line (for email submission): "Abstract Submission_ EVPM Abstract Title".

Submission email and link: Email- doris.leibetseder unibas ch / Pushpikasapna gmail com; Link- https://forms.gle/8g5xxk7cPwuTdJce8

Please Note:

1. Authors of the selected abstracts will be notified by 30th January, 2027. Call for full chapters and other processes thereafter, TBD. Only authors of selected abstracts will be contacted.
2. Authors submitting their abstracts to the XXI ISA Congress of Sociology 2027 on the same theme (refer to my previous post), may also submit their works for this edited volume provided they have not been published elsewhere.