Reiko Ohnuma
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199915651
- eISBN:
- 9780199950058
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199915651.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This book is an exploration of maternal imagery and discourse in premodern South Asian Buddhism, drawing primarily on textual sources preserved in Pali and Sanskrit. It argues that Buddhism in India ...
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This book is an exploration of maternal imagery and discourse in premodern South Asian Buddhism, drawing primarily on textual sources preserved in Pali and Sanskrit. It argues that Buddhism in India had a complex and ambivalent relationship with mothers and motherhood—symbolically, affectively, and institutionally. Symbolically, motherhood was a double-edged sword, sometimes extolled as the most appropriate symbol for buddhahood itself, and sometimes denigrated as the most paradigmatic manifestation possible of attachment and suffering. On an affective level, too, motherhood was viewed with the same ambivalence: In Buddhist literature, warm feelings of love and gratitude for the mother’s nurturance and care frequently mingle with submerged feelings of hostility and resentment for the unbreakable obligations thus created, and positive images of self-sacrificing mothers are counterbalanced by horrific depictions of mothers who kill and devour. Institutionally, the formal definition of the Buddhist renunciant as one who has severed all familial ties seems to co-exist uneasily with an abundance of historical evidence demonstrating monks’ and nuns’ continuing concern for their mothers, as well as other familial entanglements. Some of the topics covered in the book are Buddhist depictions of maternal love and maternal grief, the role played by the Buddha’s own mothers, Māyā and Mahāprajāpatī, the use of pregnancy and gestation as metaphors for the attainment of enlightenment, the use of breastfeeding as a metaphor for the compassionate deeds of buddhas and bodhisattvas, and the relationship between Buddhism and motherhood as it actually existed “on the ground.”Less
This book is an exploration of maternal imagery and discourse in premodern South Asian Buddhism, drawing primarily on textual sources preserved in Pali and Sanskrit. It argues that Buddhism in India had a complex and ambivalent relationship with mothers and motherhood—symbolically, affectively, and institutionally. Symbolically, motherhood was a double-edged sword, sometimes extolled as the most appropriate symbol for buddhahood itself, and sometimes denigrated as the most paradigmatic manifestation possible of attachment and suffering. On an affective level, too, motherhood was viewed with the same ambivalence: In Buddhist literature, warm feelings of love and gratitude for the mother’s nurturance and care frequently mingle with submerged feelings of hostility and resentment for the unbreakable obligations thus created, and positive images of self-sacrificing mothers are counterbalanced by horrific depictions of mothers who kill and devour. Institutionally, the formal definition of the Buddhist renunciant as one who has severed all familial ties seems to co-exist uneasily with an abundance of historical evidence demonstrating monks’ and nuns’ continuing concern for their mothers, as well as other familial entanglements. Some of the topics covered in the book are Buddhist depictions of maternal love and maternal grief, the role played by the Buddha’s own mothers, Māyā and Mahāprajāpatī, the use of pregnancy and gestation as metaphors for the attainment of enlightenment, the use of breastfeeding as a metaphor for the compassionate deeds of buddhas and bodhisattvas, and the relationship between Buddhism and motherhood as it actually existed “on the ground.”
Hera Cook
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199252183
- eISBN:
- 9780191719240
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199252183.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Social History
This chapter introduces the concept of ‘reproductive labour’ to describe women's biological contribution to reproduction (omitted from the concept of domestic labour), and the impact of this upon the ...
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This chapter introduces the concept of ‘reproductive labour’ to describe women's biological contribution to reproduction (omitted from the concept of domestic labour), and the impact of this upon the gendered experience of sexuality is discussed. The North West European marriage system is explained. Gross reproduction (fertility) rates from 1750 to 1976 show a peak around 1820. Analysis of the gendered nature of the proximate and remote determinants of fertility demonstrates the limits of demographic analysis. Women's response to breastfeeding and infant mortality rates are considered in relation to reproductive labour.Less
This chapter introduces the concept of ‘reproductive labour’ to describe women's biological contribution to reproduction (omitted from the concept of domestic labour), and the impact of this upon the gendered experience of sexuality is discussed. The North West European marriage system is explained. Gross reproduction (fertility) rates from 1750 to 1976 show a peak around 1820. Analysis of the gendered nature of the proximate and remote determinants of fertility demonstrates the limits of demographic analysis. Women's response to breastfeeding and infant mortality rates are considered in relation to reproductive labour.
Hera Cook
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199252183
- eISBN:
- 9780191719240
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199252183.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Social History
This chapter examines in detail the methods of contraception used from the 1890s to the 1950s, including abstaining from sexual intercourse. These include spermicides, condoms, diaphragms and other ...
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This chapter examines in detail the methods of contraception used from the 1890s to the 1950s, including abstaining from sexual intercourse. These include spermicides, condoms, diaphragms and other contraceptive devices, abortion, anal sex, and breastfeeding. The impact of poor quality rubber and the absence of quality control are considered along with the limited evidence on contraceptive effectiveness. The chapter concludes with comment on the diminished sexual pleasure that resulted from use of the methods, especially for women.Less
This chapter examines in detail the methods of contraception used from the 1890s to the 1950s, including abstaining from sexual intercourse. These include spermicides, condoms, diaphragms and other contraceptive devices, abortion, anal sex, and breastfeeding. The impact of poor quality rubber and the absence of quality control are considered along with the limited evidence on contraceptive effectiveness. The chapter concludes with comment on the diminished sexual pleasure that resulted from use of the methods, especially for women.
Sally Dowling, David Pontin, and Kate Boyer
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781447338499
- eISBN:
- 9781447338543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447338499.003.0019
- Subject:
- Sociology, Marriage and the Family
This concluding chapter discusses the interdisciplinary approach taken towards the subject of breastfeeding and how these can contribute to policy and academic study. It shares some of the dialogue ...
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This concluding chapter discusses the interdisciplinary approach taken towards the subject of breastfeeding and how these can contribute to policy and academic study. It shares some of the dialogue and enthusiasm with people who could use it in their everyday life/work supporting women who breastfeed their babies. This chapter shows how each contributor to this book presented their work during the six seminars and otherwise participated in an ongoing conversation on the topic of breastfeeding over the life of the series. Other practitioners have provided insight and reflection into the usefulness of the academic work for policy makers and practitioners. ‘Practitioner’ here is interpreted in the widest sense, to refer to breastfeeding support delivered by health professionals, breastfeeding peer and other supporters, infant feeding leads in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals/community services, and local authority managers. The chapter also reveals the many connections between chapters in different sections, and across the book, though there are many others that readers are encouraged draw themselves.Less
This concluding chapter discusses the interdisciplinary approach taken towards the subject of breastfeeding and how these can contribute to policy and academic study. It shares some of the dialogue and enthusiasm with people who could use it in their everyday life/work supporting women who breastfeed their babies. This chapter shows how each contributor to this book presented their work during the six seminars and otherwise participated in an ongoing conversation on the topic of breastfeeding over the life of the series. Other practitioners have provided insight and reflection into the usefulness of the academic work for policy makers and practitioners. ‘Practitioner’ here is interpreted in the widest sense, to refer to breastfeeding support delivered by health professionals, breastfeeding peer and other supporters, infant feeding leads in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals/community services, and local authority managers. The chapter also reveals the many connections between chapters in different sections, and across the book, though there are many others that readers are encouraged draw themselves.
Joanne Bailey
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199565191
- eISBN:
- 9780191740664
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199565191.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History, Family History
This chapter focuses upon the corporeality and materiality of representations of parental care. Mothers were associated with physically caring for their infants and sick children, though fathers’ ...
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This chapter focuses upon the corporeality and materiality of representations of parental care. Mothers were associated with physically caring for their infants and sick children, though fathers’ bodies were also the medium of their love through tears, hugs and embraces during the age of sensibility. This was celebrated in the popular cultural motif of the labourer's return home to his family. The parental bosom was frequently evoked through maternal breastfeeding and the nursing father. Society also praised labouring fathers and mothers who worked hard for their children, seeing their children's love as suitable reward. Men's provision for their families was demanded, but this chapter shows that provision was difficult to fulfil for many fathers. Also it was considered to be a maternal obligation in several social ranks.Less
This chapter focuses upon the corporeality and materiality of representations of parental care. Mothers were associated with physically caring for their infants and sick children, though fathers’ bodies were also the medium of their love through tears, hugs and embraces during the age of sensibility. This was celebrated in the popular cultural motif of the labourer's return home to his family. The parental bosom was frequently evoked through maternal breastfeeding and the nursing father. Society also praised labouring fathers and mothers who worked hard for their children, seeing their children's love as suitable reward. Men's provision for their families was demanded, but this chapter shows that provision was difficult to fulfil for many fathers. Also it was considered to be a maternal obligation in several social ranks.
Shane Doyle
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265338
- eISBN:
- 9780191760488
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265338.003.0002
- Subject:
- Anthropology, African Cultural Anthropology
This chapter challenges assumptions about the universalist traditions of African sexuality, by examining what is known about the sexual behaviour of Ankole, Buganda, and Buhaya before colonial rule. ...
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This chapter challenges assumptions about the universalist traditions of African sexuality, by examining what is known about the sexual behaviour of Ankole, Buganda, and Buhaya before colonial rule. It demonstrates that while some similarities existed, this small geographical region was characterized in regard to sexuality and reproduction more by the diversity of its attitudes and practices in relation to pre-marital sexuality and pregnancy, wife-sharing, legitimate and illegitimate extra-marital sex, ritualized sex, the duration of breastfeeding, and ideal family size. These ethnic differences were shaped by locally distinct patterns of clanship, inheritance, marriage, and moral politics.Less
This chapter challenges assumptions about the universalist traditions of African sexuality, by examining what is known about the sexual behaviour of Ankole, Buganda, and Buhaya before colonial rule. It demonstrates that while some similarities existed, this small geographical region was characterized in regard to sexuality and reproduction more by the diversity of its attitudes and practices in relation to pre-marital sexuality and pregnancy, wife-sharing, legitimate and illegitimate extra-marital sex, ritualized sex, the duration of breastfeeding, and ideal family size. These ethnic differences were shaped by locally distinct patterns of clanship, inheritance, marriage, and moral politics.
Sally Dowling, David Pontin, and Kate Boyer (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781447338499
- eISBN:
- 9781447338543
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447338499.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Marriage and the Family
This book brings together international academics, policy makers, and practitioners to build bridges between the real world and scholarship on breastfeeding. It asks the question: How can the latest ...
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This book brings together international academics, policy makers, and practitioners to build bridges between the real world and scholarship on breastfeeding. It asks the question: How can the latest social science research into breastfeeding be used to improve support at both policy and practice level, in order to help women breastfeed and to breastfeed for longer? The book includes discussion about the social and cultural contexts of breastfeeding and looks at how policy and practice can apply this to women's experiences. This will be essential reading for academics, policy makers and practitioners in public health, midwifery, child health, sociology, women's studies, psychology, human geography, and anthropology, who want to make a real change for mothers.Less
This book brings together international academics, policy makers, and practitioners to build bridges between the real world and scholarship on breastfeeding. It asks the question: How can the latest social science research into breastfeeding be used to improve support at both policy and practice level, in order to help women breastfeed and to breastfeed for longer? The book includes discussion about the social and cultural contexts of breastfeeding and looks at how policy and practice can apply this to women's experiences. This will be essential reading for academics, policy makers and practitioners in public health, midwifery, child health, sociology, women's studies, psychology, human geography, and anthropology, who want to make a real change for mothers.
Barbara Charlesworth Gelpi
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195073843
- eISBN:
- 9780199855179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195073843.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century Literature and Romanticism
The opening chapter introduces the linkage between Shelley’s ideas on maternity and breastfeeding in his youth and his eventual views on the nature of human experience. The chapter asserts that our ...
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The opening chapter introduces the linkage between Shelley’s ideas on maternity and breastfeeding in his youth and his eventual views on the nature of human experience. The chapter asserts that our current ideas on infancy—borne out of the same historical milieu of Shelley’s time—have engendered “faith narratives” that mold our present experiences and Shelley’s as well. These narratives include the Lacanians’ analysis of language acquisition in infants, Daniel Stern’s account of infant development and its stages, Eagleton’s philosophical treatise on the “aesthetic” as the source of one’s self identity, and historical accounts of changes in family structures which stressed maternal breastfeeding in Shelley’s time. The chapter posits that the insights gleaned from these four narratives taken collectively reveal a “mother-centeredness” in Shelley and his works. This reconstruction of Shelley’s experiences attempts to search for his “Promethean” language that links existence, perception, and expression.Less
The opening chapter introduces the linkage between Shelley’s ideas on maternity and breastfeeding in his youth and his eventual views on the nature of human experience. The chapter asserts that our current ideas on infancy—borne out of the same historical milieu of Shelley’s time—have engendered “faith narratives” that mold our present experiences and Shelley’s as well. These narratives include the Lacanians’ analysis of language acquisition in infants, Daniel Stern’s account of infant development and its stages, Eagleton’s philosophical treatise on the “aesthetic” as the source of one’s self identity, and historical accounts of changes in family structures which stressed maternal breastfeeding in Shelley’s time. The chapter posits that the insights gleaned from these four narratives taken collectively reveal a “mother-centeredness” in Shelley and his works. This reconstruction of Shelley’s experiences attempts to search for his “Promethean” language that links existence, perception, and expression.
Zaharah Sulaiman, Lisa H. Amir, and Pranee Liamputtong
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199755059
- eISBN:
- 9780199979479
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199755059.003.0016
- Subject:
- Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology
In the past, feeding newborn mammals with breast milk was never a choice but rather a natural way of feeding. Without the influence of culture and beliefs, babies would naturally continue to ...
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In the past, feeding newborn mammals with breast milk was never a choice but rather a natural way of feeding. Without the influence of culture and beliefs, babies would naturally continue to breastfeed until the age of 2.5 to 7 years. As breast milk is recognized as the natural way to feed infants, it is no longer appropriate to talk about the “benefits of breastfeeding.” The chapter presents an overview of the health risks of not breastfeeding taken from five recent reviews regarding short- and long-term risks for preterm infants, term infants, and mothers. The chapter addresses three levels: individual-, group-, and society-level factors. Maternal prenatal intention to breastfeed is a stronger predictor than the combination of other factors in determining the initiation and duration of breastfeeding. Working by itself may not be a barrier to breastfeeding, but working conditions and long inflexible working hours are barriers to mothers maintaining breastfeeding.Less
In the past, feeding newborn mammals with breast milk was never a choice but rather a natural way of feeding. Without the influence of culture and beliefs, babies would naturally continue to breastfeed until the age of 2.5 to 7 years. As breast milk is recognized as the natural way to feed infants, it is no longer appropriate to talk about the “benefits of breastfeeding.” The chapter presents an overview of the health risks of not breastfeeding taken from five recent reviews regarding short- and long-term risks for preterm infants, term infants, and mothers. The chapter addresses three levels: individual-, group-, and society-level factors. Maternal prenatal intention to breastfeed is a stronger predictor than the combination of other factors in determining the initiation and duration of breastfeeding. Working by itself may not be a barrier to breastfeeding, but working conditions and long inflexible working hours are barriers to mothers maintaining breastfeeding.
Sally Dowling, David Pontin, and Kate Boyer
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781447338499
- eISBN:
- 9781447338543
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447338499.003.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Marriage and the Family
This introductory chapter provides a brief background into the seminars which have helped to shape the publication of this book. Here, the emphasis is on breastfeeding, as it is a policy priority for ...
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This introductory chapter provides a brief background into the seminars which have helped to shape the publication of this book. Here, the emphasis is on breastfeeding, as it is a policy priority for the four devolved UK governments with a responsibility for health and is acknowledged to be important in improving public health and reducing health inequalities. However, there is a clear relationship in the United Kingdom between socioeconomic status and breastfeeding, with significantly lower rates among women living in the most deprived areas. There are also differences between younger mothers and older mothers, women with different levels of formal education, and women from different ethnic backgrounds. The variation in available breastfeeding support is also part of the story, as is the loss of intergenerational kin-based knowledge networks. In addition, a whole range of micro-practices, social engagements, and events unfold when mothers try to integrate breastfeeding into the rest of their lives. It is these parts of the story that the seminar series focused on — the nuances of breastfeeding babies as a social practice.Less
This introductory chapter provides a brief background into the seminars which have helped to shape the publication of this book. Here, the emphasis is on breastfeeding, as it is a policy priority for the four devolved UK governments with a responsibility for health and is acknowledged to be important in improving public health and reducing health inequalities. However, there is a clear relationship in the United Kingdom between socioeconomic status and breastfeeding, with significantly lower rates among women living in the most deprived areas. There are also differences between younger mothers and older mothers, women with different levels of formal education, and women from different ethnic backgrounds. The variation in available breastfeeding support is also part of the story, as is the loss of intergenerational kin-based knowledge networks. In addition, a whole range of micro-practices, social engagements, and events unfold when mothers try to integrate breastfeeding into the rest of their lives. It is these parts of the story that the seminar series focused on — the nuances of breastfeeding babies as a social practice.
Anne Stott
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199699391
- eISBN:
- 9780191739132
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199699391.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Modern History
This chapter begins with an account of Wilberforce’s Practical View (1797). It then describes his precipitate engagement in Bath to Barbara Spooner. The couple’s honeymoon was spent visiting Hannah ...
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This chapter begins with an account of Wilberforce’s Practical View (1797). It then describes his precipitate engagement in Bath to Barbara Spooner. The couple’s honeymoon was spent visiting Hannah More’s Sunday schools in the Mendips. On their marriage they moved to Broomfield on Clapham Common. Much of Wilberforce’s time was taken up with his female relatives. His sister, Sally Clarke, was widowed in 1797 and his mother died in the following year. In 1798, following William Pitt’s duel Wilberforce put down a parliamentary motion (later withdrawn) against duelling. In July 1798 his son, William Wilberforce junior was born, attended by a male accoucheur in accordance with childbirth practices in affluent families. In keeping with the predominant ideologies of motherhood and domesticity he greatly approved of his wife’s decision to breastfeed the child.Less
This chapter begins with an account of Wilberforce’s Practical View (1797). It then describes his precipitate engagement in Bath to Barbara Spooner. The couple’s honeymoon was spent visiting Hannah More’s Sunday schools in the Mendips. On their marriage they moved to Broomfield on Clapham Common. Much of Wilberforce’s time was taken up with his female relatives. His sister, Sally Clarke, was widowed in 1797 and his mother died in the following year. In 1798, following William Pitt’s duel Wilberforce put down a parliamentary motion (later withdrawn) against duelling. In July 1798 his son, William Wilberforce junior was born, attended by a male accoucheur in accordance with childbirth practices in affluent families. In keeping with the predominant ideologies of motherhood and domesticity he greatly approved of his wife’s decision to breastfeed the child.
John David Penniman
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780300222760
- eISBN:
- 9780300228007
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300222760.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
What if the idea that “you are what you eat” weren’t a simple metaphor? What if it revealed a deeper medical, moral, and religious history about the relationship between food and the soul? In the ...
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What if the idea that “you are what you eat” weren’t a simple metaphor? What if it revealed a deeper medical, moral, and religious history about the relationship between food and the soul? In the early Roman Empire, food (and especially breast milk) was invested with the power to transfer characteristics, improve intellect, and establish bonds of kinship. Ancient Jews and Christians participated in this discourse surrounding the symbolic power of food and feeding. This book explores the legacy and complex history of food, feeding, and the formation of ancient religious cultures. Highlighting the apostle Paul’s reference to breastfeeding in 1 Corinthians 3, the book argues that this metaphor must be viewed as the result of social ideologies and embodied practices focused on the feeding of infants that were prominent throughout the Greco-Roman world. Drawing upon Paul and this broader cultural context, a wide range of early Christian authors (including Irenaeus of Lyon, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine of Hippo) used milk and solid food to think about how humans become what they eat—for good or for ill. In so doing, the book demonstrates the deep connection between “eating well” and “being well” for diverse models of growth, education, and identity within early Christianity.Less
What if the idea that “you are what you eat” weren’t a simple metaphor? What if it revealed a deeper medical, moral, and religious history about the relationship between food and the soul? In the early Roman Empire, food (and especially breast milk) was invested with the power to transfer characteristics, improve intellect, and establish bonds of kinship. Ancient Jews and Christians participated in this discourse surrounding the symbolic power of food and feeding. This book explores the legacy and complex history of food, feeding, and the formation of ancient religious cultures. Highlighting the apostle Paul’s reference to breastfeeding in 1 Corinthians 3, the book argues that this metaphor must be viewed as the result of social ideologies and embodied practices focused on the feeding of infants that were prominent throughout the Greco-Roman world. Drawing upon Paul and this broader cultural context, a wide range of early Christian authors (including Irenaeus of Lyon, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine of Hippo) used milk and solid food to think about how humans become what they eat—for good or for ill. In so doing, the book demonstrates the deep connection between “eating well” and “being well” for diverse models of growth, education, and identity within early Christianity.
Joan B. Wolf
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814794814
- eISBN:
- 9780814795255
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814794814.001.0001
- Subject:
- Sociology, Health, Illness, and Medicine
Why has breastfeeding re-asserted itself over the last twenty years, and why are the government, the scientific and medical communities, and so many mothers so invested in the idea? This book ...
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Why has breastfeeding re-asserted itself over the last twenty years, and why are the government, the scientific and medical communities, and so many mothers so invested in the idea? This book challenges the widespread belief that breastfeeding is medically superior to bottle-feeding. Despite the fact that breastfeeding has become the ultimate expression of maternal dedication the conviction that breastfeeding provides babies unique health benefits and that formula feeding is a risky substitute is unsubstantiated by the evidence. The book argues that a public obsession with health and what she calls “total motherhood” has made breastfeeding a cause célèbre, and that public discussions of breastfeeding say more about infatuation with personal responsibility and perfect mothering in America than they do about the concrete benefits of the breast. Parsing the rhetoric of expert advice, including the recent National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, and rigorously questioning the scientific evidence, the book uncovers a path by which a mother can feel informed and confident about how best to feed her thriving infant—whether flourishing by breast or by bottle.Less
Why has breastfeeding re-asserted itself over the last twenty years, and why are the government, the scientific and medical communities, and so many mothers so invested in the idea? This book challenges the widespread belief that breastfeeding is medically superior to bottle-feeding. Despite the fact that breastfeeding has become the ultimate expression of maternal dedication the conviction that breastfeeding provides babies unique health benefits and that formula feeding is a risky substitute is unsubstantiated by the evidence. The book argues that a public obsession with health and what she calls “total motherhood” has made breastfeeding a cause célèbre, and that public discussions of breastfeeding say more about infatuation with personal responsibility and perfect mothering in America than they do about the concrete benefits of the breast. Parsing the rhetoric of expert advice, including the recent National Breastfeeding Awareness Campaign, and rigorously questioning the scientific evidence, the book uncovers a path by which a mother can feel informed and confident about how best to feed her thriving infant—whether flourishing by breast or by bottle.
Jessica Martucci
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226288031
- eISBN:
- 9780226288178
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226288178.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Breastfeeding rates in America fell throughout the 1950s and 1960s before beginning to climb again in the 1970s. This work argues that the development of an ideology of natural motherhood preceded ...
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Breastfeeding rates in America fell throughout the 1950s and 1960s before beginning to climb again in the 1970s. This work argues that the development of an ideology of natural motherhood preceded breastfeeding's return. Rooted in psychology and animal studies in the 1930s, the ideology of natural motherhood moved beyond the confines of scientific study as a handful of mothers sought out the experiences of “natural” childbirths and breastfeeding in the 1940s. By the 1950s, a back to the breast movement was firmly established within segments of the white, middle-class, and often college educated, population. Despite the widespread acceptance of formula feeding by the medical community throughout the majority of the twentieth century, a small but vocal minority of mothers pushed back against hospital policies and cultural norms when they insisted on breastfeeding their children. In the 1970s, political tensions within the breastfeeding community erupted over the biological essentialism upon which many early breastfeeding advocates had built their arguments. Despite these rifts, natural motherhood continued to hold personal meaning for women across the political spectrum who sought a connection to a natural maternal identity. By the late 1980s, breastfeeding became increasingly associated with the extraction of breast milk from the breast via a breast pump. In the twenty-first century, natural motherhood remains a powerful draw for women who want to feed their infants “naturally,” even while medical and public health messages about breastfeeding can often obscure the movement's maternalist roots.Less
Breastfeeding rates in America fell throughout the 1950s and 1960s before beginning to climb again in the 1970s. This work argues that the development of an ideology of natural motherhood preceded breastfeeding's return. Rooted in psychology and animal studies in the 1930s, the ideology of natural motherhood moved beyond the confines of scientific study as a handful of mothers sought out the experiences of “natural” childbirths and breastfeeding in the 1940s. By the 1950s, a back to the breast movement was firmly established within segments of the white, middle-class, and often college educated, population. Despite the widespread acceptance of formula feeding by the medical community throughout the majority of the twentieth century, a small but vocal minority of mothers pushed back against hospital policies and cultural norms when they insisted on breastfeeding their children. In the 1970s, political tensions within the breastfeeding community erupted over the biological essentialism upon which many early breastfeeding advocates had built their arguments. Despite these rifts, natural motherhood continued to hold personal meaning for women across the political spectrum who sought a connection to a natural maternal identity. By the late 1980s, breastfeeding became increasingly associated with the extraction of breast milk from the breast via a breast pump. In the twenty-first century, natural motherhood remains a powerful draw for women who want to feed their infants “naturally,” even while medical and public health messages about breastfeeding can often obscure the movement's maternalist roots.
Reiko Ohnuma
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199915651
- eISBN:
- 9780199950058
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199915651.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter examines the use of breastfeeding as a metaphor for the compassionate deeds of buddhas and bodhisattvas. It argues that whereas the comparison between a mother’s breastfeeding and the ...
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This chapter examines the use of breastfeeding as a metaphor for the compassionate deeds of buddhas and bodhisattvas. It argues that whereas the comparison between a mother’s breastfeeding and the Buddha’s teaching of the dharma is largely absent in India, it did become prevalent in the medieval Theravāda tradition of Sri Lanka, where the Buddha was often described as a “mother” who feeds the “milk” of the dharma to the “suckling babies” of the Saṃgha. In India, on the other hand, the mother’s breastfeeding is more often compared to the bodhisattva’s “gift of the body,” or the many deeds of bodily self-sacrifice the bodhisattva engages in on behalf of others. In this way, the bodhisattva’s gift of his body is subtly rendered as “physical” and “female” (akin to a mother’s breastfeeding), whereas the Buddha’s teaching of the dharma is “spiritual” and “male”—and therefore the gift of a father.Less
This chapter examines the use of breastfeeding as a metaphor for the compassionate deeds of buddhas and bodhisattvas. It argues that whereas the comparison between a mother’s breastfeeding and the Buddha’s teaching of the dharma is largely absent in India, it did become prevalent in the medieval Theravāda tradition of Sri Lanka, where the Buddha was often described as a “mother” who feeds the “milk” of the dharma to the “suckling babies” of the Saṃgha. In India, on the other hand, the mother’s breastfeeding is more often compared to the bodhisattva’s “gift of the body,” or the many deeds of bodily self-sacrifice the bodhisattva engages in on behalf of others. In this way, the bodhisattva’s gift of his body is subtly rendered as “physical” and “female” (akin to a mother’s breastfeeding), whereas the Buddha’s teaching of the dharma is “spiritual” and “male”—and therefore the gift of a father.
Jessica L. Martucci
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226288031
- eISBN:
- 9780226288178
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226288178.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
This chapter explores the culture of motherhood surrounding breastfeeding in the postwar era, focusing primarily on the ways women encountered information about breastfeeding and the ideology of ...
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This chapter explores the culture of motherhood surrounding breastfeeding in the postwar era, focusing primarily on the ways women encountered information about breastfeeding and the ideology of natural motherhood. It argues that even while breastfeeding declined in practice, a natural motherhood ideology that stressed breastfeeding as a way to maintain value in motherhood reached far beyond the living rooms of La Leche League meetings.. Though many more mothers turned to bottle-feeding as the postwar era ticked along, there continued to be a place for discussion about breastfeeding, one that increasingly reflected its connection to the era's nascent natural motherhood ideology. In attempting to carry breastfeeding into a new era, these mothers helped create an alternative path for postwar womanhood, one based on maternity and a biology of sentiment and meaning rather than one of cool scientific rationality. In doing so they confronted a daunting hospital system built around efficiency, not sentiment, and butted up against ideals of marriage and family life that often stressed women's heterosexual desirability and housekeeping abilities above motherhood.Less
This chapter explores the culture of motherhood surrounding breastfeeding in the postwar era, focusing primarily on the ways women encountered information about breastfeeding and the ideology of natural motherhood. It argues that even while breastfeeding declined in practice, a natural motherhood ideology that stressed breastfeeding as a way to maintain value in motherhood reached far beyond the living rooms of La Leche League meetings.. Though many more mothers turned to bottle-feeding as the postwar era ticked along, there continued to be a place for discussion about breastfeeding, one that increasingly reflected its connection to the era's nascent natural motherhood ideology. In attempting to carry breastfeeding into a new era, these mothers helped create an alternative path for postwar womanhood, one based on maternity and a biology of sentiment and meaning rather than one of cool scientific rationality. In doing so they confronted a daunting hospital system built around efficiency, not sentiment, and butted up against ideals of marriage and family life that often stressed women's heterosexual desirability and housekeeping abilities above motherhood.
Jessica L. Martucci
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226288031
- eISBN:
- 9780226288178
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226288178.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
Chapter four continues to explore the contributions and experiences of scientific and medical experts to the history of breastfeeding through an analysis of the roles that nurses played in the ...
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Chapter four continues to explore the contributions and experiences of scientific and medical experts to the history of breastfeeding through an analysis of the roles that nurses played in the process throughout the postwar decades. I argue that nurses remained loyal to the tenets of scientific motherhood to such an extent that even those who experienced breastfeeding as mothers themselves often could not find a way to help others breastfeed within the medical system in which they worked. Despite the vast majority of nurses in the postwar period who remained agents of medical authority over infant feeding, however, some learned to cultivate a new role for themselves as natural motherhood experts. These nurse-mothers offered a unique form of scientific expertise and tacit knowledge which allowed them to serve as intermediaries in the disconnect that mothers often experienced between their desire to breastfeed and their inability to escape from a medical system that supported bottle-feeding.Less
Chapter four continues to explore the contributions and experiences of scientific and medical experts to the history of breastfeeding through an analysis of the roles that nurses played in the process throughout the postwar decades. I argue that nurses remained loyal to the tenets of scientific motherhood to such an extent that even those who experienced breastfeeding as mothers themselves often could not find a way to help others breastfeed within the medical system in which they worked. Despite the vast majority of nurses in the postwar period who remained agents of medical authority over infant feeding, however, some learned to cultivate a new role for themselves as natural motherhood experts. These nurse-mothers offered a unique form of scientific expertise and tacit knowledge which allowed them to serve as intermediaries in the disconnect that mothers often experienced between their desire to breastfeed and their inability to escape from a medical system that supported bottle-feeding.
Jessica L. Martucci
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226288031
- eISBN:
- 9780226288178
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226288178.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
The Epilogue explores more recent attempts by U.S. mothers to reclaim authority over breastfeeding through various approaches. Some have challenged medical claims to the superiority of breast milk ...
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The Epilogue explores more recent attempts by U.S. mothers to reclaim authority over breastfeeding through various approaches. Some have challenged medical claims to the superiority of breast milk feeding when in fact, recent critics have suggested that there is little evidence to support such assertions. Critics in this camp argue that mothers have been bullied and coerced into an exhausting and unremunerated labor of breast pumping when there is no indication that disembodied breast milk is better for babies than most formula. Furthermore, critics of breast pumping state that breast milk feeding under these circumstances can yield more harm, psychologically, than good for many mothers. Other women have used this emerging discourse to challenge American cultural and political attitudes and policies towards motherhood more broadly. Finally, the persisting power of the ideology of natural motherhood continues to evoke strong arguments in favor of breastfeeding. The Epilogue provides a final analysis of these divergent perspectives on breastfeeding and motherhood in the twenty-first century and suggests new ways in which we might think about the emotionally and politically fraught decision to breastfeed.Less
The Epilogue explores more recent attempts by U.S. mothers to reclaim authority over breastfeeding through various approaches. Some have challenged medical claims to the superiority of breast milk feeding when in fact, recent critics have suggested that there is little evidence to support such assertions. Critics in this camp argue that mothers have been bullied and coerced into an exhausting and unremunerated labor of breast pumping when there is no indication that disembodied breast milk is better for babies than most formula. Furthermore, critics of breast pumping state that breast milk feeding under these circumstances can yield more harm, psychologically, than good for many mothers. Other women have used this emerging discourse to challenge American cultural and political attitudes and policies towards motherhood more broadly. Finally, the persisting power of the ideology of natural motherhood continues to evoke strong arguments in favor of breastfeeding. The Epilogue provides a final analysis of these divergent perspectives on breastfeeding and motherhood in the twenty-first century and suggests new ways in which we might think about the emotionally and politically fraught decision to breastfeed.
Jessica L. Martucci
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780226288031
- eISBN:
- 9780226288178
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226288178.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
The introduction explores the history of breastfeeding in the early 20th century, explains key terms, and establishes the book's intervention into the narrative and historiography of infant feeding. ...
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The introduction explores the history of breastfeeding in the early 20th century, explains key terms, and establishes the book's intervention into the narrative and historiography of infant feeding. It also introduces the main arguments, the author's perspective and outlines the organizational format.Less
The introduction explores the history of breastfeeding in the early 20th century, explains key terms, and establishes the book's intervention into the narrative and historiography of infant feeding. It also introduces the main arguments, the author's perspective and outlines the organizational format.
J. Mark Elwood
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780198529552
- eISBN:
- 9780191723865
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198529552.003.12
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health, Epidemiology
This chapter presents an example of the application of the scheme for critical appraisal: a prospective cohort study entitled ‘Long-term relation between breastfeeding and development of atopy and ...
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This chapter presents an example of the application of the scheme for critical appraisal: a prospective cohort study entitled ‘Long-term relation between breastfeeding and development of atopy and asthma in children and young adults: a longitudinal study’, published in The Lancet, in 2002. Working through this, critical appraisal shows that this is a substantial and carefully performed prospective cohort study, in which the information on outcome, asthma at the age of nine years, is very clear, and the information on breastfeeding is almost equally clear.Less
This chapter presents an example of the application of the scheme for critical appraisal: a prospective cohort study entitled ‘Long-term relation between breastfeeding and development of atopy and asthma in children and young adults: a longitudinal study’, published in The Lancet, in 2002. Working through this, critical appraisal shows that this is a substantial and carefully performed prospective cohort study, in which the information on outcome, asthma at the age of nine years, is very clear, and the information on breastfeeding is almost equally clear.
