Main description:

This book will explore the childbirth process through globally diverse perspectives in order to offer a broader context with which to think about birth. We will address multiple rituals and management models surrounding the labor and birth process from communities across the globe.

Labor and birth are biocultural events that are managed in countless ways. We are particularly interested in the notion of power. Who controls the pregnancy and the birth? Is it the hospital, the doctor, or the in-laws, and in which cultures does the mother have the control? These decisions, regarding place of birth, position, who receives the baby and even how the mother may or may not behave during the actual delivery, are all part of the different ways that birth is conducted.

One chapter of the book will be devoted to midwives and other birth attendants. There will also be chapters on the Evolution of Birth, on Women's Birth Narratives, and on Child Spacing and Breastfeeding.

This book will bring together global research conducted by professional anthropologists, midwives and doctors who work closely with the individuals from the cultures they are writing about, offering a unique perspective direct from the cultural group.

Contents:

Introduction, H. Selin; Birth and the Big Bad Wolf: An Evolutionary Perspective, R. Davis-Floyd, M. Cheyney; Breastfeeding and Child Spacing, R. Sundhagen; Culturally Diverse Women Giving Birth: Their Stories, L. Callister; A History of Western Medicine, Labor and Birth, P. Stone; Childbirth in China, T. Harvey, L. Buckley; Childbirth Among Hong Kong Chinese, W-Y. Ip; Childbirth in Korea, S. Ahn; Childbirth in Japan, S. Yanagisawa; Childbirth in India, H. Naraindas; Rural Midwives in South India: The Politics of Bodily Knowledge, K. Ram; Constructions of Birth in Bangladesh, S.F. Rashid, K. Afsana; Pregnancy and Childbirth In Nepal: Women's Role And Decision-Making Power, P. Poudel, D. Rimal; Pregnancy and Childbirth in Tibet: Knowledge, Perspectives, and Practices, S. Craig; Nyob Nruab Hlis: Thirty Days Confinement in Hmong Culture, P.Liamputtong; Pregnancy, Childbirth and Traditional Beliefs and Practices in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand, P. Liamputtong; Childbirth Experience in the Negev--The Southern Region of Israel; E. Sheiner, I. Ohel; Childbirth and Maternal Mortality in Morocco: The Role of Midwives, B. Vissandjee, M. Hatem, F. Temmar; Childbirth in Zimbabwe, T. Mathole; Childbirth in Nigeria, H.S. Galadanci, S.I. Sani; Childbirth in Tanzania: Individual, Family, Community, D. Urassa, A.B. Pembe, B. Sunguya; Culture, Pregnancy and Childbirth in Uganda: Surviving the Women's Battle, G.B. Kyomuhendo; Childbirth Experiences in Malawi, L. Kamwendo; Navajo Women Giving Birth: A Bridge Between the Past and the Future, R.C. Begay; Childbirth in the Mayan Communities, L.V. Walsh; Converting Birth on Simbo, Western Solomon Islands, C. Dureau; Childbirth in Australia: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women, T. Dunbar,S. Kildea. Biographies of contributors. Index.