28th Münster Conference: "Beginnings of Life. Birth in Global Change"

Description

Every day, countless children are born all over the world. However, the ideas, rituals, and conditions surrounding birth differ worldwide. They change with societal developments, medical possibilities, and cultural influences. While birth rates are declining in some countries, they remain high in others. What does this demographic change mean for our views on family, society, and the future? The focus of this year's Münster Conference is birth in global change. Various perspectives will be presented, from midwifery training in South Sudan, experiences of a Swiss midwife traveling with "Doctors Without Borders" in different regions of the world, to the question of why fewer children are born in some societies, while many are still born in others. In the subsequent workshop, impulses will be discussed, related, and further developed. The conference is thematically linked to the exhibition "BORN" which will be on view from October 9 to November 29, 2026, at Haus zum Dolder. Participants: Lynn Kohli, social anthropologist and filmmaker, combines academic research with a broader public. She is currently working on reproductive decisions and declining birth rates among young adults. Noëmi Moor, trained jazz singer from Central Switzerland, is at home with her warm voice in jazz, gospel, and spirituals. She combines her concert activities with work as a singing teacher and choir director. Mike Poltorak, freelance documentary filmmaker and medical and visual anthropologist, researches social health among other topics through ethnographic films and other visual media. Laura Stoffel, social anthropologist, curator, and project leader of the exhibition "BORN," focuses her curatorial work on how societal issues can be experienced sensorily and discussed participatively. Regula Bühler, a midwife, is globally engaged in sexual and reproductive health, especially where vulnerable people urgently need support, including with "Doctors Without Borders." Dorina Waldmeyer, team leader for Africa and program manager for South Sudan at Mission 21 in Basel, has been working on South Sudan for over ten years and maintains long-standing personal relationships with people in the region. The conference is open to all interested parties.

Highlights

• Topics: Birth in Global Change
• Participants: Lynn Kohli and Noëmi Moor
• Workshop to deepen the impulses

General Information

The 28th Münster Conference addresses different perspectives on birth in various regions of the world. It highlights societal and cultural changes influencing birth rates and offers a workshop for discussion and deepening of the topics.

Location

Stift 29, 6215 Beromünster, Switzerland

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