Category Archives: Black Feminist Anthropology

Black Breastfeeding: Constructing a Framework of Analysis and Action through the Lens of Black Feminist Anthropology

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Posted by in anthropology, Black Feminist Anthropology, Summits & Conferences

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With all of my travel and busy-ness I realized I completely forgot to upload my ROSE poster — so here it is. I presented this poster at the Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere 4th Annual Breastfeeding Summit in Atlanta, that happened about two weeks ago, but seems like yesterday. The summit was in Atlanta, GA on August 19-21, and the topic this year was Building Bridges across the Chasm of Breastfeeding Inequities.There were various speakers — I missed 99% of the presentation by Camara Phyllis about racism and examining and eliminating its impact — the one I really wanted to see — and dang, I was so disappointed. Of course when I finally did make it to the conference center, during the break everyone was talking about it, and subsequently telling me how unfortunate it was that I didn’t make it once they found out I wasn’t there :/

The food was incredible. The my only grievance was that the caterers took it all away so soon after each meal time, LOL, and didn’t leave it out (I can tend to go several rounds when they got it like that — and make it like that). But I’m not bitter.

Anyway, my poster is about viewing how I work to highlight Black breastfeeding promotion via — well, through constructing a framework of analysis and action through the lens of Black feminist anthropology. I’m trying real hard to shine as bright of a light on this vantage point as I can. I want to make Black feminist anthropology as public as I can, and I think that showing this at a conference where there are folks who are both inside and outside of academia is ideal — that’s my kind of audience. Below is the poster. Below the poster is the abstract that was submitted and was published in the pamphlet.

Black Breastfeeding: Constructing a Framework of Analysis and Action via the Lens of Black Feminist Anthropology

Black Breastfeeding: Constructing a Framework of Analysis and Action via the Lens of Black Feminist Anthropology

What is Black feminist anthropology and its relation to Black breastfeeding, and what does an analysis of breastfeeding and action via critical Black feminist anthropology look like? Black feminist anthropology encompasses a body of knowledge that is based upon a multi-faceted set of converging characteristics that construct is framework, and among other characteristics, what is most salient are two primary attributes; being a black feminist an an anthropologist. Most often imposed within this framework are ways to work at instituting forms of thought and unequal treatment across various geographic locations and throughout time. In their distinct locations, both Black feminist and anthropology have too often omitted conversations on breastfeeding. More specifically, when looking at how a society functions, highlighting ways to center racism, Black women’s social position, and also creating an avenue towards challenging the inequity that underscores this legacy, it seems that human lactation never makes a space at the forefront.

How can Black feminist anthropology highlight the greater complexities surrounding the legacy of injustice in Black breastfeeding in the U.S.? Since breastfeeding is a biological function informed by cultural practices, which are influenced by social circumstances, via this rare and crucial vantage point, I will highlight how Black feminist anthropology accesses complexities surrounding breastfeeding injustice, and other less visible blind spots, while underscoring ideas that all operate on an avenue towards strategic and necessary change.

I really liked that I got to attend this year. I haven’t been since the first one, but it was nice being there seeing folks I hadn’t seen in a while, meeting folks I had never met before and hearing some of the presentations. Also, I may join NAPPLSC, which stands for National Association of Professional and Peer Lactation Supporters of Color — and it’s a new organization started by ROSE and is geared toward offering support to those in the profession. Now, we all know about my politics and how I feel about the increase in professional breastfeeding services, right?! In case you need a reminder or you have a question mark lingering over your head in order to understand why I’m even mentioning this it’s because I do not believe breastfeeding professionalism it is a form of justice, or that it is working to end breastfeeding inequity. If anything, I believe it is dong the exact opposite and reiterating various formations of injustice as well as establishing new and additional layers of it — including a hierarchy and oligarchy since it places the knowledge of a tradition that has sustained the human race into the hands of a select few who have access to formal education, funding and status — that’s just one reason — I gots plenty. And I stand on my views without apologizing for them. But if professionals of color feel they need to converge to offer a greater level of support to each other in order to offer a greater level of care for their clients, then that’s worth supporting these efforts with a 35 dollar membership fee. I think the founder of the Native American Breastfeeding Coalition of Washington convinced me of that.

Injustice at the Breast Anywhere is a Threat to Justice at the Breast Everywhere! Help support Black Breastfeeding Research in Mississippi (Video)

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Posted by in Black Feminist Anthropology, education, Ethnography, MISSISSIPPI

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I’m finally going to Mississippi at the end of this summer! And when I say ‘finally‘ I mean that I actually received some funding for the work that I do — that I’m looking to expand. It is extremely hard to get funding from my perspective. What I can guarantee you is I get denied because I am a Black woman who wants to make radical changes with my community and throughout society overall. Because I approach my research proposals with an anti-racist, decolonial, radical Black feminist tone and am not a person who is looking to do nothing at all except go off to some foreign land and study the ‘Other’ in order to objectify, vilify and further deem how superior the Western world is — to uphold the colonial legacy of anthropology — they always get shut down. I refuse to give in and even change my language in order to acquiesce to a dominant paradigm that wants me to be ‘objective,’ and ‘conforming’. In other words, I refuse to whiten myself up.

This time, a donor and her husband (said husband who mentioned how ‘comfortable’ he is with Black people — I’ll tell you this story soon enough), gifted the department a generous amount of funds to pass out to various graduate students for pilot research, whose work fits within medical anthropology — and I was one of those students — even though I don’t consider myself a medical anthropologist. I received enough money to pay for travel from Seattle to Mississippi, to travel between cities in Mississippi: Greenville, Jackson, Natchez, to pay fees to visit slave plantations which is part of my research, and to eat but this funding does not cover everything — like room and board and other miscellaneous fees associated with such a trip, which is why I created a gofundme account to help cover costs of these important components.

Black women in this country have the lowest breastfeeding rates of any group, and breastmilk is literally the difference between life and death for many babies, Black women also have one of the most complex histories. Mississippi has the lowest breastfeeding rates of any state in this union, and I believe that this state has the richest history of both oppression by the state and resistance by the people, who have voluntarily and involuntarily given their lives in order to resist dehumanization. Looking at this trajectory, I believe breastfeeding fits right into this paradigm. But the legacy of disenfranchisement, anti-Black woman sentiments, fragmentation of Black women, radical dispossession and reproductive control among many other dominating facets rooted in a racist history, I believe continue to operate through this biological site. This perspective — one from a  Black feminist anthropological vantage point has never been done before, and I’m going down to confront this legacy. In the video below, I briefly share more about my work and this endeavor.

If you feel you’ve been inspired by any facet of the work that I do then please consider visiting the icon and pitching in what you can. Thank you in advance for any consideration. And thanks for helping me spread the word!

Black Breastfeeding + Black Feminist Anthropology on National Anthropology Day

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Posted by in anthropology, Black Feminist Anthropology, education

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Black Breastfeeding #BlkBfing + Black Feminist Anthropology by Acquanda Y. Stanford National Anthropology Day 2015

Last week was the first ever National Anthropology Day. The poster above is the one I made for the celebration we had on campus to show those who attended — there were many posters on display for this day. I also gave a worksop titled ‘Discovering African American Anthropology,’ and talked along the lines on the history of Black people in the discipline — how anthropology has such a racist foundation, but how Black people used anthropology to challenge it and create social justice. I think it went well. I could tell that there were many folks who had no idea about this history — some came up to me afterwards and told me, some emailed me. I also talked briefly about why I’m interested in Black breastfeeding and what I believe the significance is overall.

Here’s what the poster says:

What is the relationship between history, geography, race and breastfeeding? Are there any links to Harriet Tubman and the underground railroad, Nat Turner’s revolt, Malcolm X’s speeches, the Civil Rights and Black Power movements and the now-infamous ‘Black Lives Matter’ slogan to Black women’s breastfeeding? I believe the answer is ‘Yes!’

My research focuses on Black breastfeeding in the U.S. I am interested in understanding how this biological function is linked to various ways Black people have worked to resist social oppression and wage radical resistance from colonial times to the present. The gap that exists in breastfeeding for Black people means we remain compromised in this country, with increased risks of various illnesses for mother and baby, as well as other factors, including social, environmental and psychological trauma. I am a Black feminist anthropologist, and use this lens in order to understand how breastfeeding is experienced by Black people as a whole, with the hopes of assisting others in eradicating this inequity, and also transforming how our society views this natural function and get more Black babies to the breast.

Tune into the View From A Rack for Cultural Anthropology with Acquanda Stanford!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Posted by in anthropology, Black Feminist Anthropology, education, public speaking

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http://facebook.com/viewfromarack

I’m going to be on the Blog Talk Radio show, ‘View from a Rack’ next week! I’m really excited about it because I think the show — mostly about Black breastfeeding and mothering — is really awesome. It was really cool when I got invited  to participate as a guest, and, I’m so happy that I get to talk about Black breastfeeding and anthropology. These topics combined are two of the loves of my life , as we know — and so, so rare in the larger conversation — so I get to represent.

The show airs each Tuesday from 9-10 pm EST, and I will be on on September 2nd from 9:20-9:40. Go to this link to listen in.

Acquanda S.: SUPER Radical Black Feminist, decidedly unapologetic breastfeeding junkie, sociocultural anthropology PhD student

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Posted by in anthropology, Black Feminist Anthropology, education

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I had been thinking about something I’d heard a while back and it almost made me laugh. One in particular was when I finished undergrad, I remember being told that I ‘Came back a radical!’ I heard this from more than one person — that I went away to school and when I came back and had a very hard-core and extremely political outlook on things. Hmm.. I’m not so sure I agree with that, even though at the surface I can see what these folks who told me this mean but I’m not so sure if I view myself that way. I know that I was exposed to new material, and I picked up some new tools also, and this allowed me to be able to view things a bit differently, and also challenge social injustice in new ways. I also discovered Black Feminism back then — formally, anyway, and I think that allowed me to channel what I had been feeling deep down for a very long time, and finally I could understand things with this new framework that made so much sense as a Black women in America. But I think I’ve always been pretty radical, regardless if I never really wanted to admit it. But I wonder if, after going through this program, they’ll think I’m Super Radical, LOL.

Just some thoughts.

Some other thoughts about this whole breastfeeding journey are that I still think it’s a bit surreal that one day I was sitting alone at a friend’s house when I heard the word ‘breastfeeding’ whispered to my soul. Literally. Of course back then I had no way of knowing it would turn into such a passion and a love of my life, and I’d be a junkie — well, someone extremely passionate about it. OK, I’m a junkie! The first step is admitting it, right? But I don’t think it’s a problem. J Then I started writing this blog, and many other types of advocacy to, more recently, having dinner with a former professor and her husband because I wanted to work on a project about breastfeeding, and he has skills and other information I could benefit from, which is what I wanted to talk to him about. Much of the time spent at their home that evening (after homemade Indian food and a couple of glasses of Monte Antico, that is) morphed into a conversation between she and I about this PhD program, where she gave me that extra ‘encouragement’ to apply — up until then I had been ‘thinking about getting around to it’ and I would have — eventually. That turned into me almost having palpitations from excitement, after finding out there was a radical Black woman anthropologist who focuses on racial, social and reproductive justice — right down the street — at this university, and who is now my advisor! I honestly thought I was the only radical Black woman anthropologist who focuses on racial and social justice, in this state — and surrounding areas, even — to getting into this program (trust me, it ain’t easy), to afterwards not being able to find funding because of all of the major federal budget cuts, to getting the start of my program funded — almost effortlessly at the last minute, to now leaving for my first day of class.

I am officially a PhD student. And one step closer to becoming a professor!

I had to stop and think that it is a bit strange and unbelievable, to me of just how things fell into place towards this. When I really stop and think about it it sort of overwhelms me. I also firmly believe that many other doors I attempted to open over the past while, not necessarily geared towards this work (getting a job in a different area, for example) were shut totally in my face. Those shut doors caused major hardship and distress for me many times (which I’m still a bit bitter and hurt over), but perhaps it is only part of the bigger picture to keep my focus clear. I’ve said many times before — in fact it’s almost become my mantra that I can’t believe breastfeeding advocacy is the work that I do. And, up until more recently, there is probably no one who could have convinced me that I’d be going to school to study it. But the universe pulled me in. I know it. I heard it. I can testify to it.

Though I’m not sure I believe that any type of formal education is a path one must take to do breastfeeding work — in fact, I don’t believe that at all. But since I’ve been in this field, I have said and demonstrated many times that I believe an anthropological approach is extremely beneficial in addressing many issues that face our society –this is, of course after I began to see that the tools can transform — I came very close to quitting this field. There are very few People of Color in this discipline, and even less Black people across the United States who are anthropologists — and a Black woman in this field is rare. I still have yet to find one other Black or African American woman in this country with an anthropology background who focuses on Black breastfeeding (trust me I’ve been looking), so I wonder if that’s why I’m here — to help our work from this angle. And represent. African American breastfeeding, birth, doula, anthropology 

Whatever reasons the universe has deemed this the path for me, I’m happy I’m here. I know this is exactly where I am supposed to be, and there really is not one thing in this world that can me convince it isn’t.

What I’m Reading :: Family Secrets: Risking Reproduction in Central Mozambique

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Posted by in anthropology, birth/Midwifery, Black Feminist Anthropology, books, education, Ethnography

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‘Family Secrets: Risking Reproduction in Central Mozambique’. Vanderbilt University Press, 2010.

Tomorrow, I’m going to begin reading Family Secrets: Risking Reproduction in Central Mozambique. I’m getting a head-start on my class coursework (school starts in just over two weeks). But even if that weren’t part of the equation I’d still be looking forward to this one.

Family Secrets is the ethnography of Dr. Rachel Chapman, a University of Washington professor whose areas of interest are maternal and infant health, reproductive health, social justice and human rights, and, from what else I understand, she’s a radical. Seriously, does it get any better? 

I’ve mentioned this title before when I was discussing women of the African Diaspora who are anthropologists, and who have written texts on birth and reproduction — which are rare and precious finds — and I started on this one a little while ago but didn’t get around to finishing. Professor Chapman conducted this research in Mozambique, a place she continues to visit each year, and what sets this one apart from others right now is that it is required reading for one of my classes on medical anthropology. I’m also taking a course on ‘Anthropology and the Politics of Reproduction,’ so this will, of course, compliment that coursework.

Last time I talked about Family Secrets, I provided a small clip from a section I peeked at about Dr. Chapman’s experience with the Shona Midwives and their views on breastfeeding — who tried to ‘gently persuade [her] to wait until the ‘hot”, liminal time from birth was washed away with a shower before she nursed her daughter. This time, the exerpt is from the chapter titled Controlling Women: Reproducing Reproduction. The section of this chapter is titled Sorcery and the Commoditization of Birth Assistance:

The competition for access to women in childbirth as potential opportunities for economic gain constitutes another level of women’s reproductive vulnerability. When this work becomes lucrative, compensated with money, the potential for competition and corruption to enter the relationship increases, and the motives for assisting in the birth process become suspect. Any potential midwife might vie for the opportunity to profit from a birth or intentionally create a need for her presence by precipitating a crisis through magical or spiritual means. The possibility haunts a process already fraught with potential danger for mother and infant.

Pregnant women fear aggressive strangers, persistent neighbors, or even jealous relatives who could be competing for the role of birth assistant for the cash and gifts involved , and who might resort to witchcraft or sorcery to achieve this end. A person who uses sorcery or witchcraft to provoke a problem during childbirth, such as obstructed labor or retention of the placenta, must be summoned to the bedside of the woman in childbirth to undo this feitico. Failure to call on this interfering individual could result in the serious injury or death of the mother, the infant, or both.

Did you ever pick up your copy?

Will you be reading along?

Image Source: http://www.amazon.com/Family-Secrets-Risking-Reproduction-Mozambique/dp/0826517188 Date accessed: September 8, 2013.

DR. STANFORD IS (not so far from being) IN THE HOUSE! Final Education Score: Master’s, 2, PhD, 1

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Posted by in anthropology, Black Feminism, Black Feminist Anthropology, education

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 #JustCallMeProfessorHIJKLMNOP

“Last July, I walked on stage in front of a large audience. I was an invited speaker, asked to share my perspective at a summit at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, organized by ROSE (Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere), a grassroots coalition founded to raise awareness of breastfeeding among Black and African American women. My objective that day was to give a 30-minute presentation on ways to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates among this group, who statistically continue to rank lowest of any demographic in our nation, and whose increase could effectively help thwart the staggering infant mortality rate that plagues this community. As I stood behind the podium and looked onto the crowd, which consisted of lay and professional healthcare advocates, community activists and many other officials from local and nationwide, including the 16th U.S. Surgeon General, I told them that in order to eradicate the lengthy list of health disparities linked to these low breastfeeding rates we must cease focusing on Black women who breastfeed. Instead, look past these protagonists, and recognize the unique and complex history of Black women in this country and enlist the help of anyone interested in challenging socio-political inequity, structural violence and cultural insularity, all which are situated at the center, and all hinder an infant’s access to its mother’s breast. This was a significant shift in the way breastfeeding advocacy and promotion has been viewed as a tradition.”

Remember a little while back when I said I was busier than life and I’d let on to what was going on around here soon enough? Well, I was engaged in what felt like an unyielding application of school and fellowship applications, (the first paragraph of my Statement of Purpose is above, because I just thought I’d share. I used my experience speaking at ROSE Breastfeeding Summit, to set the tone. And I’m sure the fact that the Surgeon General was in the audience didn’t hurt with the decision). But without further ado…..

I GOT IN!

 

Just the other day I received notification that I was accepted into the renowned Sociocultural Anthropology PhD program, after I opened my email and viewed the fancy schmancy letter – well, here, let me read it to you:

Ahem – *Clears throat*

Dear Acquanda Y. Stanford (that’s me ;)

Dear Acquanda Y. Stanford:

We are pleased to inform you that the Sociocultural Anthropology Graduate Program in the Department of Anthropology has admitted you…. Our faculty, staff and students join me in welcoming you to one of the most prestigious, progressive universities in the United States…. This is a very competitive program and many applicants with impressive backgrounds apply…. Please contact me if you have any further questions…. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Anthropology Department is well-known for its rigorous curriculum, which I am SO thankful for. I love challenging environments, and being worked in school. And not to boast or anything, seriously, but it is an extremely difficult program to get into. But I still think it’s crazy insane I am about to enter a PhD program, since I initially never ever planned on it. When I was in community college I remember my instructor one day said to me (though I don’t really remember the exact subject at hand) “You’ll see when you teach anthropology….” This is the same one who gave me the extra push to actually apply to this program, and the one who previously introduced me to the idea of a concurrent PhD and Master’s of Public Health degree, which I will also be pursing, along with a certificate in Feminist Studies.

I want to teach – to transform – and create a reciprocal learning environment that opens up the doors for radical social change. That’s my goal. And pursuing a doctoral degree will qualify me to do so at the university level, which is my ultimate endeavor. But I also want to continue to engage people in the public sphere. This is also the reason I feel my education is a double-edged sword. In some ways I believe it may hinder my access to the communities I most want to serve. Yet my reasons for even attending school is that I recognized that in order to ‘use the master’s tools to dismantle the master’s house’ I would need to equip myself with what it takes to combat these issues – in various ranks. That’s why I’m here.

What will my research focus on? Bet you’d never guess in a million years, right?! As far as I know I am the only Black woman in this country with an anthropology background who focuses on this area and the Black experience. Using the tools of anthropology, I want to construct the larger framework around Black breastfeeding. Breastfeeding extends far beyond a baby on a breast, and it requires critical attention to areas of gender, race, class, geographic location, history and much, much more. I want to delve deep into the issues of power and dominance, culture and biology, female and community agency, language and our knowledge of the past and present and view this area through various lenses that encompass critical social theories. I believe that “this biological site can serve as a gateway to underpin a new set of theoretical questions that can complicate our thinking and allow for the expansion of knowledge on ideas of community engagement, globalization, global health and disparities, maternal-infant health and various others with research that will evolve and syncretize local, national, and global processes, expanding perspectives not previously explored.” Sorry, that’s just another small clip from my Statement of Purpose. *smile*

I also am ready to continue transforming this discipline. I absolutely believe that an anthropological approach is key to addressing many issues that face our society, and its tools can be used to create radical and revolutionary change and positively transform. But I also know that it has a long and sordid history of participating in colonialism and exclusion and racial and gender exclusivity, but there have been many who have worked effortlessly to challenge this legacy. I’m thrilled to carry the torch.

When all is said and done, where I always urge people to disregard the hierarchy and ensure everyone has a say, and used a string of letters of the alphabet to mock our reliance on formal education, which I believe can too often keep people from truly engaging each other, I really will be Professor HIJKLMNOP. I will have a zillion and one initials behind my name that if you ask me, is actually kinda creepy. But still not so bad for a H.S. dropout, eh?! Thankfully this area is one that allows for academic activism, and using education to lift and liberate because I really do love what I do. And I’m so, so thrilled about what lies ahead.

Keep Calm And Read :: Birth and Reproduction Texts by Black Women Anthropologists (Video)

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Posted by in anthropology, birth/Midwifery, Black Feminist Anthropology, books

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Keep Calm And Read Anthropology Books By Black Women

I recently updated my bookshelf with texts I’m currently reading, plan on reading, what I recommend, and I even put a few that are on my wishlist from amazon.com on the page. I just finished The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks — about a woman I think every living soul should learn about because we have all been impacted by her and her immortal cells that were taken without her knowledge and transformed the medical field — and has saved many of our lives. Also, because I’m working towards Doula Certification, I just started The Doula Guide to Birth, in order to give a report/review, which I’ll post here once I’m finished and I’m also flipping through The Radical Doula Guide.

I try and find as many texts as I can that are written by Black women anthropologists, to add to my library, and to highlight their work. I believe the tools of this discipline provide ways of viewing culture and society and are phenomenal in exploring new ideas and possibilities. For example, because anthropology means ‘the study of humankind in all places and all times,’ and is concerned with all aspects of humanity now and in the past, it offers a holistic perspective and goes below the surface of what many are used to seeing. Also, because one the primary tools of cultural anth is ethnography (writing culture), it usually means living among or deeply interacting with a group for a specified amount of time, participating in their ways of living (participant observation) and learning the intricate details. Much more in-depth than a regular study. It adds another dimension.

The awesome thing that’s been happening for me, is that not only do I notice more and more texts by Black women anthropologists, but I’m finding more and more who have produced work on breastfeeding and birth — well, at least birth, but breastfeeding comes up at some point in the conversation, of course. I know I’m newer to exploring the reproductive realm than many, but from the looks of things it doesn’t appear to be a lengthy history of us writing on the topic. And I have yet to find a text dedicated exclusively to breastfeeding — except for the one I’m working on. I’ve mentioned before that the last time I heard there are only about 600 practicing Black anthropologists in this country. And a Black woman anthropologist is rare. So I’m so happy to come upon whatever I can. 

The first two are ones I’ll be reviewing on this blog in the near future and the last two are on my wishlist. They’re not focused on mechanics, but look at underlying areas of culture, reproduction, health and politics, and are, well. . . . ethnographic. The first is written by a local right in this town, who I had no idea even existed until more recently when someone named her a ‘Shero’. I think it’s the craziest thing that I can search high and low for Black women in this discipline, and someone else points to one who’s practically my neighbor. How does that happen?

Family Secrets: Risking Reproduction in Central Mozambique, is the ethnography of Rachel Chapman, PhD, from her research site, and one I’m so excited about. Dr. Chapman is a Sociocultural Anthropologist and professor at the University of Washington, who focuses on medical anthropology, racial and ethnic disparities in reproduction along with others — and who also teaches Global Health. I spoke with her recently, and talked about breastfeeding, anti-racism, anthropology, and about some thoughts I have about my work in this field, and had a fascinating time discussing these topics with her. And from someone whose work is closely aligned with mine, and who understands what it’s like being only one of a handful in this discipline, she was very encouraging, and of course I savored the many things she said.

I took a peek inside of Family Secrets, and read a small, fascinating section: “When My daughter, Solea, was born seven months earlier in a clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe, the two Shona midwives assisting my birth had gently tried to dissuade me from putting her immediately to my breast to nurse. They advised me to have a shower first because I was “dirty” from the birth. By ‘dirty’ they meant unclean not so much from the bodily fluids of my exertion as from the liminal, potentially dangerous journey to motherhood I had just come through. I was “hot” from this sacred and highly charged rite of childbirth and might pass that heat through my milk to my infant, making her sick.”

Here’s the excerpt from Amazon:

Behind a thatched hut, a birthing woman bleeds to death only minutes from “life-saving” maternity care. Chapman begins with the deceptively simple question, “Why don’t women in Mozambique use existing prenatal and maternity services?” then widens her analysis to include a whole universe of cultural, political, and economic forces. Fusing cultural anthropology with political economy, Chapman vividly demonstrates how neoliberalism and the increasing importance of the market have led to changing sexual and reproductive strategies for women.

Pregnant herself during her research, Chapman interviewed 83 women during pregnancy and postpartum. She discovered that the social relations surrounding traditional Shona practices, Christian faith healing, and Western biomedical treatments are as important to women’s choices as the efficacy of the therapies.

I’m filled with anticipation.

Next is another ethnography by Spelman Alum, Khiara M. Bridges, who just so happened to also be valedictorian of the university (after she finished a four-year degree in only three, that is). She is also an anthropologist and lawyer — Associate Professor of both, a professional classical ballet dancer, and speaks fluent Spanish and some Arabic. Yep. Wow! I just happened upon this book recently, along with a video that provided the details above about Dr. Bridges, while researching and I’m so glad I did.

Reproducing Race: An Ethnography of Pregnancy as a Site of Racialization was published in 2011, and her research site was here in the U.S. — in New York at an ‘Obstetrics clinic in a public hospital in Manhattan.’ Dr. Bridges says the issues around reproduction and race are far more complex than simply focusing on skin color. Here is the blurb from Amazon:

“Reproducing Race, an ethnography of pregnancy and birth at a large New York City public hospital, explores the role of race in the medical setting. Khiara M. Bridges investigates how race–commonly seen as biological in the medical world–is socially constructed among women dependent on the public healthcare system for prenatal care and childbirth. Bridges argues that race carries powerful material consequences for these women even when it is not explicitly named, showing how they are marginalized by the practices and assumptions of the clinic staff. Deftly weaving ethnographic evidence into broader discussions of Medicaid and racial disparities in infant and maternal mortality, Bridges shines new light on the politics of healthcare for the poor, demonstrating how the “medicalization” of social problems reproduces racial stereotypes and governs the bodies of poor women of color.”

Risking Reproduction and Reproducing Race are highlights of this month for me. If you’re considering looking into these, reading ethnographies are usually very accessible, and an in-depth knowledge or social science background is not necessary at all. I’ll be super excited if you decide to read along, so let me know if you will be doing so. I am looking forward to exploring these, and can’t wait to publish their reviews.

These are on my wishlist.

African American Midwifery in the South: Dialogues of Birth, Race and Memory by Gertrude Fraser, says that “Starting at the turn of the century, most African American midwives in the South were gradually excluded from reproductive health care. Gertrude Fraser shows how physicians, public health personnel, and state legislators mounted a campaign ostensibly to improve maternal and infant health, especially in rural areas. They brought traditional midwives under the control of a supervisory body, and eventually eliminated them. In the writings and programs produced by these physicians and public health officials, Fraser finds a universe of ideas about race, gender, the relationship of medicine to society, and the status of the South in the national political and social economies.”

Stress And Resilience: The Social Context of Reproduction in Central Harlem is by Columbia Professor, Leith Mullings, and is a ‘ground-breaking volume [that] chronicles the unique experiences of black women that place them at higher risk for morbidity and mortality – especially during pregnancy.’ I won’t go too much into this work of critical medical anthropology, because Leith Mullings appears in the video below speaking at the Scholar and Feminist Conference at Barnard College about ‘Race and Stratified Reproduction’. It is only a a short one, but if you follow the YouTube link you can find more on her work about Stress And Resilience, and others.

A short video by Dr. Mullings

Far from being anywhere excited about hearing of even more inequity among Black women, I am happy that these will undoubtedly provide information that will allow for a new way to see things, and add an additional tool to use in challenging social issues that weigh heaviest on Black women and communities of color, and once I get them, I will be sure to let you know. African American breastfeeding, birth, doula, anthropology

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New Books :: Breastfeeding + Anthropology + Black Feminist Anthropology (Video)

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Posted by in anthropology, Black Feminist Anthropology, books

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51ZC76R533LI got new books! Ones that feel like they have been on my wishlist for what seemed like forever and I finally got around to ordering them. What do they all have in common? They are written by anthropologists. There’s not much out there in the way of breastfeeding texts from an anthropological perspective, so coming across these is awesome and rare. The Anthropology of Breastfeeding: Natural Law or Social Construct discusses the deeper issues behind breastfeeding, and since the text is still en route to my house via USPS, here’s what Amazon.com says about it:

‘On the whole, the debates surrounding the issues of breast-feeding – often reflecting ethnographic and ill-informed medical and demographic approaches – have failed to treat the deeper issues. The significance of breast-feeding reaches far beyond its biological function; in fact, the authors of this volume argue, there is nothing `natural’ about breast-feeding itself. On the contrary, attitudes and practices are socially determined, and breast-feeding has to be seen as an essential element in the cultural construction of sexuality. This volume offers an `ethnography’ of breast-feeding by examining cultural norms and practices in a number of European and non-European societies, thus presenting valuable and often astonishing empirical material that is not otherwise readily available. The highly original focus of this volume therefore throws new light on gender and on social relationships in general.’

51CtczxpOvLNext, I haven’t had all that much exposure to Katherine Dettwyler’s work. I do know she is from here in the U.S. and Breastfeeding Biocultural Perspectives is her second text — that is co-edited, her first single-authored is on death and dying. I visited her website ‘Thoughts On Breastfeeding’ on a few occasions, and saw her in the documentary Breasts recently, but that’s pretty much the extent. This book is about examining the biological process of breastfeeding along with the culturally determined behavior. The cover says this viewpoint ‘has important implications for understanding the past, present, and future condition of our species’, which can all happen through this custom. I’m excited to see what it has to offer.

41K7JDM70JLFinally, Faye V. Harrison, PhD, a cultural (political) Black Feminist Anthropologist and professor at the University of Florida who focuses on the African Diaspora, human rights, critical race feminism and others. . . . and her work changed my life.

When I was an undergrad I came across Dr. Harrison as I was preparing to enroll in an independent study course. I found myself at a point where I began to question the ethics of anthropology, and began to have doubts about the ideas of going off to a foreign land just to study people and produce scholarship in order to finish a dissertation and get a PhD, among various other concerns. I couldn’t fully articulate my thoughts at that moment but it seemed exploitative and weighed heavily on me. At this same time I was also extremely lonely and discouraged and was yearning to find more Black women in the discipline; besides the few white women that had been elected the voice of ‘women’ in the field — Margaret Mead, Eleanor Leacock, Sally Slocum, the mainstream theoretical perspectives taught in class are all made up of ‘Dead white men on parade’. I came across Dr. Harrison’s professional website and sent her a message and graciously she provided me with information, names of other Black women in the field and told me about her book Outsider Within: Reworking Anthropology in the Global Age that at the time of our correspondence was not so long ago published. It was through this text is where I discovered that anthropology can reach far beyond the mainstream white-centric and often imperialistic ideas of ethnography, note-taking, and promoting ‘Otherization,’ but it could radically transform, promote social equality and voice (especially vulnerable) communities. This is what I was looking for. And it opened up an entire new world. I ended up doing a presentation in the Anthropology Department, based on the information from this independent study and the theory from Outsider Within, along with another text I used for the course, Black Feminist Anthropology, to ask why, in a discipline that claims to largely debunk social stratification, do we continue to promote racist and gendered ideology, exclusivity and marginalization and why it’s important to see the viewpoints of Black women anthropologists, and hear what we had to say then and what we continue to say now. I titled it ‘Anthropological Theory! Where Are Our Sistahs?’

Were it not for Dr. Harrison’s work, there is little doubt that I would not be here today promoting breastfeeding from the angle that I do because I probably wouldn’t have even continued studying anthropology. Instead, I’m almost certain I would have dropped the discipline all together for disappointment and changed my major, but I once again fell in love with it since it was now in alignment with my personal and professional beliefs.

Resisting Racism And Xenophobia is edited by Dr. Harrison, and is a ‘collection of essays [that] focuses on the intersections between race, gender, sexuality, class, and nationality that exert a huge influence on human rights conflicts around the world.’ Though it does not explicitly discuss breastfeeding or birth, racism and xenophobia underscore disparities, and must become central to the conversation. I’m thrilled I finally own a copy.

I found the video below with Dr. Harrison that is from a recent talk she gave at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. In it, she discusses ‘The Cultural Politics of Race in the New Millennium.’ Listen carefully.

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Word(less words) Wednesday: Black women + Anthropology + Breastfeeding = Just the two of us?

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Posted by in anthropology, Black Feminist Anthropology, Wordless Wednesday

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I’ve been spending some time looking for Black and African American anthropologists – for people of African descent, and women of color who are also lactation advocates — for practicing anthropologists, or those who have taken any anthropology courses or who have learned about the discipline in any other way, and integrate this important angle into their work. I’m even interested in finding those whose work is closely related to lactation, such as doulas, midwives, or other birthworkers — just to know we exist in this realm. I’m not hoping to find a large amount, obviously, since I know we’re scarce; the Association of Black Anthropologists and other closely related organizations continue to make efforts to increase the amount of people of color who study anthropology overall — the last I heard there were only between 600-800 Black anthropologists in this country – and a Black woman anthropologist is rare. Besides myself and Nisha – an IBCLC, doula and owner of Mother Rites which is here in town, I can’t think of many others who have combined anthropology with lactation. In fact, between searching the internet and even asking for leads from others from an online space filled with Black women who are anthropologists, or who at least have an interest in the discipline, below is the list of others I found across the U.S.:

I’m convinced there’s more.