María Mundi-López, Ms

University of Granada and École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales.

María Mundi-López holds a degree in Medicine from the University of Granada and an MA in History of Science, Technique and Knowledge from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS). She is currently pursuing a cotutelle PhD between both institutions. Her research interests focus on the social history of abortion technologies, Science and Technology Studies (STS), feminist studies and global health. She has previously researched the history of abortion in Spain during Francoism and the democratic transition, as well as the emergence of anti-abortion movements in that period. Her current dissertation, Medication Abortion: Co-productions of Knowledge at the Crossroads of Medical, Activist and Lay Practices (1980 2020), examines the transnational co-production of knowledge on medication abortion among actors such as the WHO, international NGOs, and activist networks from feminist, STS and global health perspectives.

Statement of interest:

The fellowship would be especially important for my scholarly development because Ljubljana occupies a significant place in the history of abortion technologies, which is the core focus of my dissertation. The city was a key centre in the development and international circulation of abortion techniques during the socialist period. Notably, “The Ljubljana Abortion Study” (1974) was among the first studies to advocate vacuum aspiration over dilation and curettage (D&C). Ljubljana also played an important role in the international clinical trial networks coordinated by the WHO for the development and testing of mifepristone and medication abortion protocols. Being based at INZ would therefore provide unique access not only to the Institute’s scholarly expertise and regional research infrastructure, but also to local historical networks and potentially to interviews with some of the medical professionals and researchers who participated in these clinical trials. This would enrich the transnational and oral history dimensions of my dissertation.

Selected List of Publications:

• Mundi-López, María, and Agata Ignaciuk. ‘Different Aspirations: Medicine, Activism and Uterine Vacuum Aspiration Technology in Spain (1960s–1980s)’. Medical History 70, no. 1 (2026): 120–40. https://doi.org/10.1017/mdh.2025.10031.
• Mundi-López, María. ‘Mifepristona (RU486): ciencia y controversia en torno a la introducción de la píldora abortiva en España (1982-2000)’. Dynamis: Acta Hispanica ad Medicinae Scientiarumque Historiam Illustrandam 45, no. 2 (2025): 511–49. https://doi.org/10.30827/dynamis.v45i2.35255.
• Ignaciuk, Agata, Ángela Segura-Arenas, and María Mundi-López. ‘Weaponizing the Law: Acción Familiar and “pro-Life” Strategic Litigation in Spain (1985-1990)’. The History of the Family, 2026, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/1081602X.2025.2612345.