Colonial Modernities - Midwifery in Bengal, c.1860-1947 (Paperback)

The subject of medicalisation of childbirth in colonial India has so far been identified with three major themes: the attempt to reform or 'sanitise' the site of birthing practices, establishing lying-in hospitals and replacing traditional birth attendants with trained midwives and qualified female doctors. This book, part of the series The Social History of Health and Medicine in South Asia, looks at the interactions between childbirth and midwifery practices and colonial modernities. Taking eastern India as a case study and related research from other areas, with hard empirical data from local government bodies, municipal corporations and district boards, it goes beyond the conventional narrative to show how the late nineteenth-century initiatives to reform birthing practices were essentially a modernist response of the western-educated colonised middle class to the colonial critique of Indian sociocultural codes. It provides a perceptive historical analysis of how institutionalisation of midwifery was shaped by the debates on the women's question, nationalism and colonial public health policies, all intersecting in the interwar years. The study traces the beginning of medicalisation of childbirth, the professionalisation of obstetrics, the agency of male doctors, inclusion of midwifery as an academic subject in medical colleges and consequences of maternal care and infant welfare. This book will greatly interest scholars and researchers in history, social medicine, public policy, gender studies and South Asian studies.

General

Imprint:	Routledge India
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	The Social History of Health and Medicine in South Asia
Release date:	December 2020
First published:	2017
Authors:	Ambalika Guha
Dimensions:	216 x 138mm (L x W)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	220
ISBN-13:	978-0-367-73606-4
Categories:	Books > Medicine > General issues > History of medicine Books > Humanities > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > General Books > Medicine > Clinical & internal medicine > Gynaecology & obstetrics > General Books > Medicine > Clinical & internal medicine > Paediatric medicine > Neonatal medicine Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > General
LSN:	0-367-73606-3
Barcode:	9780367736064

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