The deprivations and cruelty of slavery have overshadowed our understanding of the institution's most human dimension: birth. We often don't realize that after the United States stopped importing slaves in 1808; births were more important than ever; slavery and the southern way of life could continue only through babies born in bondage. In the antebellum South; slaveholders' interest in slave women was matched by physicians struggling to assert their own professional authority over childbirth; and the two began to work together to increase the number of infants born in the slave quarter. In unprecedented ways; doctors tried to manage the health of enslaved women from puberty through the reproductive years; attempting to foster pregnancy; cure infertility; and resolve gynecological problems; including cancer.Black women; however; proved an unruly force; distrustful of both the slaveholders and their doctors. With their own healing traditions; emphasizing the power of roots and herbs and the critical roles of family and community; enslaved women struggled to take charge of their own health in a system that did not respect their social circumstances; customs; or values. Birthing a Slave depicts the competing approaches to reproductive health that evolved on plantations; as both black women and white men sought to enhance the health of enslaved mothers--in very different ways and for entirely different reasons. Birthing a Slave is the first book to focus exclusively on the health care of enslaved women; and it argues convincingly for the critical role of reproductive medicine in the slave system of antebellum America.
#575777 in Books 2007-05-31 2007-06-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x 1.14 x 6.76l; 1.37 #File Name: 0674025091275 pages
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. An important yet relatively untouched part of Japanese history.By S. BolaI am an American living in Fukui Japan; where the Ikko-shu played a big hand in the development of the region. Fukui and nearby Kaga Province (now part of Ishikawa Prefecture) were long the stronghold of the Ikko Ikki; and many important battles took place here; battles that had huge impacts on the nation as a whole. For too long these battles have gone unnoticed by historians. This book finally gives a voice to these conflicts; and paints a vivid picture of who the Ikko were; what their motivations were; and ultimately what happened to them. I give this book five stars because of the importance of the subject matter; and the mountains of research that must have gone into writing this book. However; if I was to complain; I would say only that I wish some time was committed to important regional battles; including the Battle of Kuzuryu River; which had a lasting effect on the Ikko; ultimately leading to the Dai-sho Ikki which is extensively covered in this book. I would also liked to have heard some about the Hokuriku Ikki after Oda established himself in the region. There is little mention of the Ikki occurring in Echizen in the mid to late 1570s; nor the final stand of the Ikko at Torigoe Caslte or Kanazawa Castle.Still; the absolute best book on the subject and a must read for anyone with even a passing interest in the Ikko. Also recommended for anyone interested in Japanese history.
