Breastfeeding and child feeding at the center of nurturing practices, yet the work of nurture has escaped the scrutiny of medical and social scientists. Anthropology offers a powerful biocultural approach that examines how custom and culture interact to support nurturing practices. Our framework shows how the unique constitutions of mothers and infants regulate each other. The Dance of Nurture integrates ethnography, biology and the political economy of infant feeding into a holistic framework guided by the metaphor of dance. It includes a critique of efforts to improve infant feeding practices globally by UN agencies and advocacy groups concerned with solving global nutrition and health problems.
Penny Van Esterik is a Canadian anthropologist who has trained at University of Toronto and received her PhD from University of Illinois. She has taught nutritional and feminist anthropology at York University, Toronto and has a long history of advocacy work on breastfeeding and child health. Her geographical focus is Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand and Lao PDR.
Title: The Dance of Nurture: Negotiating Infant Feeding: 6 (Food, Nutrition, and Culture, 6)
Author: O'Connor, Richard A.,Esterik, Penny Van
ISBN: 9781800734562
Binding:
Publisher: Berghahn Books
Publication Date: 2022-06-10
Number of Pages: 248
Weight: 0.3494 kg
The biocultural model developed by Van Esterick and O'Connor is a great contribution to the field. * Social Anthropology
The book is a much-needed call for support for breastfeeding in developed and less developed countries and has the potential to save lives and reverse infant malnutrition in environments of poverty. * Ann Millard, Associate Professor, Public Health Studies School of Public Health, Texas A&M Health Science Center - McAllen