Reproduction on the Reservation: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Colonialism in the Long Twentieth Century (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781469653150)

This pathbreaking book documents the transformation of reproductive practices and politics on Indian reservations from the late nineteenth century to the present, integrating a localized history of childbearing, motherhood, and activism on the Crow Reservation in Montana with an analysis of trends affecting Indigenous women more broadly. As Brianna Theobald illustrates, the federal government and local authorities have long sought to control Indigenous families and women's reproduction, using tactics such as coercive sterilization and removal of Indigenous children into the white foster care system. But Theobald examines women's resistance, showing how they have worked within families, tribal networks, and activist groups to confront these issues. Blending local and intimate family histories with the histories of broader movements such as WARN (Women of All Red Nations), Theobald links the federal government's intrusion into Indigenous women's reproductive and familial decisions to the wider history of eugenics and the reproductive rights movement. She argues convincingly that colonial politics have always been--and remain--reproductive politics.

By looking deeply at one tribal nation over more than a century, Theobald offers an especially rich analysis of how Indigenous women experienced pregnancy and motherhood under evolving federal Indian policy. At the heart of this history are the Crow women who displayed creativity and fortitude in struggling for reproductive self-determination.

Author: Brianna Theobald
ISBN-10: 146965315X
ISBN-13: 9781469653150
Publisher: University of North Carolina Press
Language: English
Published: 10/21/2019
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.37lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.81d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 09/06/2019 pg. 1