Ideologies and Technologies of Motherhood charts new territory by exploring the notion of motherhood for women of differing classes, races, religions and nations in the light of various strategies and new technologies used to attain motherhood. This collection of essays by leading expert offers a wealth of ethnographic case studies that illustrate how women experience and practise motherhood in the United States, Egypt, Israel, South Africa, the United Kingdom and other nations. By examining such topics as transracial adoption, surrogate motherhood, in vitro fertilization, pregnancy loss and caring for disabled children, the contributors reveal how race, gender, kinship and personal identity are transformed through the lens of motherhood, and how motherhood itself is being reconfigured across national and cultural contexts.