Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona – UAB

Based at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), AFIN is an interdisciplinary inter-university research group focusing on basic and applied research in the social sciences, humanities and health sciences.

It is dedicated to the study of human reproduction and the inequality as it relates to age, sex, gender, racial or ethnic origin, religions or convictions, medical conditions, nationality and the intersection of these aspects.

Since its creation, AFIN has been characterized by its interdisciplinary focus, its academic relationships with other national and international research groups and institutions. It is also driven by a clear commitment to ensuring that its research findings reach citizens and communities.

The group gathers professionals from the field of social, cultural and medical anthropology, sociology, education, law, medicine, psychology, and social work. AFIN’s members are attached to various domestic and international universities, institutions, organizations and services, from both the public and private sectors.

Its main areas of research and applied work include

  • Motherhood, fatherhood and human reproduction
  • Third party reproduction (gametes, embryo, gestation or child provided by a third party)
  • Cross-border reproductive care (CBRC)
  • Secret and anonymity
  • Childhood and youth diversity
  • Parenting and family life
  • Care and Gender

Beatriz San Román (PhD in Social Psychology) is lecturer at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Her research interests involve family diversity and reproductive strategies, including adoption, assisted reproduction and surrogacy. She is member of AFIN Research Group and General Coordinator of AFIN Outreach Centre. She is also the co-editor of AFIN Magazine, a free monthly publication that aims to disseminate research findings to a broad audience.

Diana Marre (Social Anthropology PhD) is Associate Professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain). Her areas of specialization are human reproduction, gender, motherhood and mothering, childhood and youth in Spain. She is the author and co-author of several articles, chapters and books. She is currently the Director of the AFIN Research Group and AFIN Outreach Centre, and the PI of a 4 years R&D research project on Third-Party Reproduction (Transnational Adoption, NRTs and Surrogacy).

Estel Malgosa Gasol is economist and anthropologist. She is currently a student of de PhD program of Anthropology in de Autonomus University of Barcelona (UAB), for which she has obtained a scholarship. She is member of AFIN Research Group from UAB and she is making research in fields like sexuality and reproduction about childhood and young people.

Patrícia Aljama Cuenca is a PhD student in the program “Person and society in the contemporary world” at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​where she also participates in the research group “Fractalities of Critical Investigation”. In the professional sphere, she works as a support technician of LGBTI policies in Viladecans Town Council and collaborates with the Observatory Against Homophobia carrying out administrative tasks.