Into Women’s Hands? Misoprostol and Reproductive Justice in West Africa 

• Participant: Siri Suh

“Into Women’s Hands” is a collaborative research project involving faculty and graduate students from Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Senegal, Université Joseph Ki-Zerbo in Burkina Faso, and Brandeis University in the US.  We conduct ethnographic research on the use and circulation of misoprostol in Burkina Faso and Senegal.  At a time when misoprostol is widely recognized as a pharmaceutical approach to reducing maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa, we ask: how does a life-saving medication end up in the hands of some consumers, patients, and health workers, but not others?  We draw on the principle of reproductive justice to investigate structural inequalities in reproductive health care. We train, mentor, and supervise graduate students in collecting and analyzing ethnographic data.  Research methods include interviews, observation in health facilities and pharmacies, and mystery client studies with in-person and virtual vendors. Through our collaborative approach, we aim to center African scholars and universities in the production of knowledge about reproduction in Africa.  In this talk, I highlight the advantages, possibilities, and challenges of conducting collaborative research on reproductive health.