Abstract

In the Italian context of very low fertility rates, reproductive issues and migrants' fertility choices take on relevance to produce stereotypes and scaremongerings.In this article I address the way anthropology deals with the issue of reproduction and fertility and, specifically, I discuss the widespread notions of modernity and assimilation in socio-demographic analysis of reproductive behaviors, through an anthropological approach towards fertility in the frame of migration. I propose a reflection on meanings and practices related to reproductive choices through the analysis of the current literature and a recent research experience about families of Moroccan origin in two Italian regions. This contribution intends to provide glimpses on practices and narratives that challenge the clear distintion between native and migrant populations' reproductive behaviors.