HLTC02H3 Chapter Notes -Initial And Terminal Objects, Medical Anthropology, Biomedicine
Document Summary
Week # 1 readings: introduction analyzing women"s health in social and historical context. Gender, body, biomedicine: reproduction to the centre of social theory by rayna rapp (2001) Medical anthropology began in the connective tissue where applied, biological, and demographic studies meet. There has been a struggle between the political economy of medicine vs. phenomenological, existential, historical and bio political strategies. Medical anthropology has resulted in decreased european notions of body of pre cultural, universal object of scientific investigation. Generations of movements: international women"s movements > women"s health, anti-violence, homosexual movement, Topics of analysis: pay equity, gendered economics, gendered workplaces, safe legal abortion, against sterilization abuse. Feminist scholars focused on biomedicine: reproduce life cycle, politics of reproduction, kinship and marriage, female reproductive cycle, medicalization of childbirth. Stratified reproduction: hierarchical organization of reproductive health, fecundity, birth experiences and child rearing that supports rewards the maternity of some women while despising or outlawing the mother work of others.
