Anthropology of Breast-Feeding: Natural Law or Social Construct (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780854968145)

On the whole, the debates surrounding the issues of breast-feeding - often reflecting ethnographic and ill-informed medical and demographic approaches - have failed to treat the deeper issues. The significance of breast-feeding reaches far beyond its biological function; in fact, the authors of this volume argue, there is nothing natural' about breast-feeding itself. On the contrary, attitudes and practices are socially determined, and breast-feeding has to be seen as an essential element in the cultural construction of sexuality.This volume offers an ethnography' of breast-feeding by examining cultural norms and practices in a number of European and non-European societies, thus presenting valuable and often astonishing empirical material that is not otherwise readily available. The highly original focus of this volume therefore throws new light on gender and on social relationships in general.

Author: Vanessa Maher
ISBN-10: 0854968148
ISBN-13: 9780854968145
Publisher: Routledge
Language: English
Published: 05/01/1992
Pages: 198
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.43h x 5.45w x 0.51d