The deprivations and cruelty of slavery have overshadowed our understanding of the institution's most human dimension: birth. We often don't realize that after the United States stopped importing slaves in 1808; births were more important than ever; slavery and the southern way of life could continue only through babies born in bondage. In the antebellum South; slaveholders' interest in slave women was matched by physicians struggling to assert their own professional authority over childbirth; and the two began to work together to increase the number of infants born in the slave quarter. In unprecedented ways; doctors tried to manage the health of enslaved women from puberty through the reproductive years; attempting to foster pregnancy; cure infertility; and resolve gynecological problems; including cancer. Black women; however; proved an unruly force; distrustful of both the slaveholders and their doctors. With their own healing traditions; emphasizing the power of roots and herbs and the critical roles of family and community; enslaved women struggled to take charge of their own health in a system that did not respect their social circumstances; customs; or values. Birthing a Slave depicts the competing approaches to reproductive health that evolved on plantations; as both black women and white men sought to enhance the health of enslaved mothers--in very different ways and for entirely different reasons. Birthing a Slave is the first book to focus exclusively on the health care of enslaved women; and it argues convincingly for the critical role of reproductive medicine in the slave system of antebellum America.
#299125 in Books Harvard University Press 2002-09-19 2002-09-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.18 x .68 x 6.12l; .83 #File Name: 0674009940256 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. If you're interested in learning more about ethnic cleansing in Europe this is a really good book to referenceBy EVReviewDespite the controversial title; it's a very well-written and well researched book on the history and motivations of ethnic cleansing in Europe throughout the years. It discusses the nationalist; social; and economic factors that lead to these events. If you're interested in learning more about ethnic cleansing in Europe this is a really good book to reference; it's quite an accessible read; and he takes the time to differentiate between ethnic cleansing and genocide which is a distinction usually forgotten.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An excellent source for anyone learning about genocideBy Macy freedmanAn excellent source for anyone learning about genocide. It is easy to compare the different genocides with this book because each chapter deals with a different aspect and a different area where genocide occurred. The reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it is wordy and is probably a book geared toward someone who has a wide vocabulary........upper level college students and members of academia. It's not a good book for pleasure reading.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Exactly what I wanted.By Dan K CarsonExactly what I wanted.
