Mother Nature and the nature of motherhood: Gestational surrogacy and ecospirituality as two postmodern forms of sacralization

Abstract

In this article the author aims to highlight some similarities and differences between the contemporary imagery of motherhood and that of ecospirituality. Apart from apparent differences, both these imageries are based on a peculiar alliance with nature. Demonstrating why these phenomena have to be considered postmodern forms of sacralization is the goal of this article. For this purpose, the author first briefly reconstructs some socio-historical stages of the imagery of the body and how this has changed from Christian to contemporary societies. The second section analyses the concept of health, focusing on the changes that affect the idea of death. The third section identifies the main features of gestational surrogacy as a characteristic phenomenon of late modern society. In the fourth section, the author shows the postmodern nature of gestational surrogacy. The fifth section compares the imagery of gestational surrogacy to that of ecospirituality, detecting some differences and similarities. In the conclusion, through an approach close to the sociology of religion, the author suggests that both these phenomena respond to the same demand for meaning and they are the product of a radical change in the relationship between human being, nature and the sacred.