Care and carelessness in rural Bolivia: Silence and emotion in Quechua childbirth testimonies

Tristan Platt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This article moves beyond ideal expressions of duality and embodiment to examine three couples through their narratives of the birth of their children. Close analysis of three Quechua interview texts yields three types of relationship in which the obstetric care and carelessness of husbands are manifest in different ways. The ritual practice of yanantin is confronted with birthing women’s actual experiences of husbands’ thoughtlessness, self-importance and error. The materials are analyzed as dramatic performances and as case studies that illustrate the emotions and moral demands behind the shared practice of childbirth.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages19
JournalBulletin de l’Institut Français d’Études Andines
Volume42
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - 2013

Keywords

  • care, childbirth, husbands and wives, emotions, morality, North of Potosi, Bolivia

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