La «catena calda»: un’etnografia dell’allattamento a partire dai margini
This contribution is the result of ethnographic research focused on the analysis of breastfeeding, to be understood as a practice of the body around which particular social and cultural meanings are condensed. In fact, far from being identifiable only with its biological and nutritional function, br...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Italian |
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Dipartimento Culture e Società - Università di Palermo
2024-06-01
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| Series: | Archivio Antropologico Mediterraneo |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/aam/8495 |
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| Summary: | This contribution is the result of ethnographic research focused on the analysis of breastfeeding, to be understood as a practice of the body around which particular social and cultural meanings are condensed. In fact, far from being identifiable only with its biological and nutritional function, breastfeeding is strongly linked to norms, values and relationships that tell us a lot about the relationship between genders, in particular about the experience of motherhood, the role of women, perceptions and practices that affect the female body. Breast milk, in the same way, conveys meanings, belongings, alliances and symbols, well beyond its function as a food that nourishes and fortifies, also becoming a “place” in which beliefs and knowledge are discerned that guide its use and circulation. The ethnographic exploration through which these issues are addressed starts from the marginal neighbourhoods of Palermo and goes as far as Novara, with the intention of establishing a comparison through which it is possible to understand the elements that influence, favour or discourage the practice of breast-feeding, in relation to the dictates of the scientific health community which, today more than ever, insists on its centrality in maternal and child health, giving mothers specific indications, and sometimes pointing out those who do not follow them as incorrect, imprudent or irresponsible. The testimonies of the research participants show, on the other hand, that what really influences choices, beyond good intentions, is the social context, economic and working conditions, access to resources and services, gender relations, and educational and cultural background: all elements that determine forms of care that constantly need support and attention in multiple forms: a “warm chain” of relations, sharing and support. The ethnographic investigation dialogues with the reference literature through a strongly transdisciplinary approach, where the anthropological perspective is nourished by gender studies, sociology, psychology, social history and critical pedagogy. |
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| ISSN: | 2038-3215 |