Coexisting with the Body: Dialogues on the Self and Body in the 21st Century
4th session "Navigating the Boundaries of Body, Self, and Family: Insights from People Who Chose Third-Party Assisted Reproduction"

Starting in July 2025, we will launch a new series titled "Coexisting with the Body: Dialogues on the Self and Body in the 21st Century." This series is co-organized by a JSPS KAKENHI (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research) project (Grant Number 23K12596) and the University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy (UTCP).

For this series, we will welcome speakers who are engaged in diverse research and activities broadly related to the concept of the "body" across various specialized fields, including philosophy, anthropology, sociology, medicine, psychology, fashion, theater, and music.
Through their lectures and interviews, we aim to explore questions such as "How do we engage with the alterity of our own bodies?" and "What factors define the unique perspectives on the body in contemporary society?" We also hope to foster discussions that can lead to insights for addressing the various conflicts people face regarding their bodies in modern times.

4th session "Navigating the Boundaries of Body, Self, and Family: Insights from People Who Chose Third-Party Assisted Reproduction"

Speaker: Eiko Saeki (Professor, Faculty of Human and Environmental Studies, Hosei University / Visiting Researcher, Department of Sociology, Uppsala University)

Abstract: Questions about reproduction are inextricably linked to the fundamental theme of how we perceive the boundaries between self and others. Norms surrounding reproduction are also deeply intertwined with our views on family and the body. In this lecture, I will explore the "otherness within one's own body" by sharing the experiences and voices of individuals who have built families through third-party assisted reproduction, such as sperm donation, egg donation, and surrogacy.

Date: 3:00-5:00 PM, Tuesday, September 30th, 2025
Location: Zoom

Please register via Zoom

Biography: Prof. Eiko Saeki graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa with a B.A. in Anthropology, followed by an M.A. in Sociology from the same university and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Rutgers University. She previously served as a researcher at the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies, Waseda University, a full-time lecturer at Tokyo Gakugei University, and an associate professor at the Faculty of Human and Environmental Studies, Hosei University, before becoming a full professor in the same faculty in 2025.

Organized by:
JSPS KAKENHI "A Study on the Social Problematization of Tattoos and the Categorization of Tattoos as Fashion" (Principal Investigator: Rie Yamada, Grant Number 23K12596)

Co-organized by:
University of Tokyo Center for Philosophy (UTCP), Uehiro Research Division for Philosophy of Co-existence