Birthing black mothers: Birth work and the making of black maternal political subjects

Jennifer C. Nash

doi:10.1353/WSQ.2019.0054

Birthing black mothers: Birth work and the making of black maternal political subjects

Jennifer C. Nash^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Black Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

This paper traces three tensions that undergird contemporary doula practice: questions about training and professionalization, questions about the meanings of medicalization, and questions about the exceptionality of birthing. In all three cases, while doulas are called upon to be agents of crisis mitigation, particularly in relationship to black women, and to use togetherness to mediate obstetric violence, these tensions complicate efforts to "resolve" the crisis black mothers face, and at times further suture black maternal bodies to crisis, placing black maternal bodies as the space in need of remediation, repair, and transformation.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	0054
Pages (from-to)	29-50
Number of pages	22
Journal	WSQ
Volume	47
Issue number	3-4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1353/WSQ.2019.0054
State	Published - Dec 1 2019

Funding

The Sexualities Project and the Faculty Research Grant at Northwestern University supported my research. Thanks to Samantha Pinto and Emily Owens, as always, for their careful reading of this work.

Keywords

Birth work
Doulas
Maternal health
Reproductive politics

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Gender Studies

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1353/WSQ.2019.0054

Cite this

@article{375a8e7f8b514770bb4ddebe23fea3e1,

title = "Birthing black mothers: Birth work and the making of black maternal political subjects",

abstract = "This paper traces three tensions that undergird contemporary doula practice: questions about training and professionalization, questions about the meanings of medicalization, and questions about the exceptionality of birthing. In all three cases, while doulas are called upon to be agents of crisis mitigation, particularly in relationship to black women, and to use togetherness to mediate obstetric violence, these tensions complicate efforts to {"}resolve{"} the crisis black mothers face, and at times further suture black maternal bodies to crisis, placing black maternal bodies as the space in need of remediation, repair, and transformation.",

keywords = "Birth work, Doulas, Maternal health, Reproductive politics",

author = "Nash, {Jennifer C.}",

note = "Funding Information: The Sexualities Project and the Faculty Research Grant at Northwestern University supported my research. Thanks to Samantha Pinto and Emily Owens, as always, for their careful reading of this work. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 by Jennifer C. Nash.",

year = "2019",

month = dec,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1353/WSQ.2019.0054",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "47",

pages = "29--50",

journal = "WSQ",

issn = "0732-1562",

publisher = "Feminist Press at CUNY",

number = "3-4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Birthing black mothers

T2 - Birth work and the making of black maternal political subjects

AU - Nash, Jennifer C.

N1 - Funding Information: The Sexualities Project and the Faculty Research Grant at Northwestern University supported my research. Thanks to Samantha Pinto and Emily Owens, as always, for their careful reading of this work. Publisher Copyright: © 2019 by Jennifer C. Nash.

PY - 2019/12/1

Y1 - 2019/12/1

N2 - This paper traces three tensions that undergird contemporary doula practice: questions about training and professionalization, questions about the meanings of medicalization, and questions about the exceptionality of birthing. In all three cases, while doulas are called upon to be agents of crisis mitigation, particularly in relationship to black women, and to use togetherness to mediate obstetric violence, these tensions complicate efforts to "resolve" the crisis black mothers face, and at times further suture black maternal bodies to crisis, placing black maternal bodies as the space in need of remediation, repair, and transformation.

AB - This paper traces three tensions that undergird contemporary doula practice: questions about training and professionalization, questions about the meanings of medicalization, and questions about the exceptionality of birthing. In all three cases, while doulas are called upon to be agents of crisis mitigation, particularly in relationship to black women, and to use togetherness to mediate obstetric violence, these tensions complicate efforts to "resolve" the crisis black mothers face, and at times further suture black maternal bodies to crisis, placing black maternal bodies as the space in need of remediation, repair, and transformation.

KW - Birth work

KW - Doulas

KW - Maternal health

KW - Reproductive politics

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85083343791&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85083343791&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1353/WSQ.2019.0054

DO - 10.1353/WSQ.2019.0054

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85083343791

SN - 0732-1562

VL - 47

SP - 29

EP - 50

JO - WSQ

JF - WSQ

IS - 3-4

M1 - 0054

ER -

Birthing black mothers: Birth work and the making of black maternal political subjects

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this