Body, memory and power: A cultural reading of the midwife healer of the Andes (Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Spanish text).

Abstract:

This dissertation analyzes the literary and cultural figure of the midwife-female healer of Latin America, giving special emphasis to the Andean countries of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. This study is based on the recovery and analysis of the collective Andean memory found in stories, legends, traditions, myths, medical practices and lore related to the treatment of perceived ailments of the female body, together with childbirth practices. The midwife has been considered primarily as an object to be trained in order to improve conditions related to hygiene and public health. Importantly, however, the midwife is one of the oldest, wisest, and most respected women of her community. As such, she constitutes a key figure for the transmission of the community''s memory and collective sense of identity from generation to generation. This study includes an analysis of the representation of the female body through time as well. It …

Año de publicación:

2003

Keywords:

Fuente:

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