This paper results from a sociological study on childbirth activism in different European contexts, that explores the emergence and the modes of action of social movements advocating for the humanization of childbirth and women’s rights in pregnancy and childbirth. Starting from the analysis of the main characteristics of childbirth activism, this presentation will focus on the cases of southern European organizations, from Portugal and Spain, as well as on public campaigns promoted by the European Network of Childbirth Associations (ENCA). For such, we will mobilize empirical data resulting from a plural methodology, based on documentary analysis, interviews and participant observation in different settings. As preliminary results, this analysis will show how childbirth activism is contributing to the construction of alternative conceptions of birth, challenging established paradigms. In its differences and similarities, childbirth activism assumes distinct features and abilities to adapt and promote changes, depending on the specificities of the contexts where it operates.

--