Birth after Death: Men and Reproduction in Two K'iche' Maya Communities Public
Dudgeon, Matthew R. (2013)
Published
Abstract
In the late 20th century, ethnic and economic inequalities in Guatemala led to a guerilla insurgency that was met by state military counterinsurgent forces. The genocidal violence of the civil war disrupted the reproductive trajectories of many western highland indigenous Maya communities. In this dissertation, I explore patterns of reproduction and reproductive loss in Maya communities after the Guatemalan civil war. I focus on an aspect of reproduction often left unaddressed in demographic as well as anthropological approaches: men. Working with predominantly K'iche' Maya communities, I investigate ways men influence decisions about family size and reproductive complications. I interrogate men's own experiences of reproduction as an integral part of their masculinity and an area of risk that lies outside the domains defined as masculine. To accomplish an ethnography of reproduction and masculinity in the context of genocide, I worked in two K'iche' Maya communities: one peri-urban community relatively less affected by the civil war, and another rural community the war had forced into hiding as a Community of Populations in Resistance.
I examine men's attitudes toward marriage, pregnancy, childbirth, and contraception. I trace four important elements of K'iche' Maya masculinity: productivity, growth, control, and respect. I argue that these elements inform men's reproductive experiences and decisions and aid in explaining the profound ambivalence many men feel about their roles in reproduction. I tie this ambivalence to broader narratives of risk associated with reproduction that implicate men and women as well as care providers such as local traditional birth attendants. I examine patterns of contraceptive use, demonstrating that men may actively collaborate with partners in contraceptive decision making even as they confront conflicts that arise from the consequences of those decisions. Using quantitative data, I explore the impact of variables accounting for men's influences on epidemiologic models of reproductive health outcomes such as initiation of prenatal care, complications during pregnancy, contraceptive knowledge and use, and neonatal and infant mortality. I conclude with a discussion of K'iche' Maya reproductive resilience and men's changing reproductive roles in the context of that resilience.
Table of Contents
List of figures and tables
List of male informants
Map of Guatemala
Map of the departments of Quetzaltenango and Quiché, Guatemala
Map of the municipality of Cantel, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Map of the municipality of Chajul, Quiché, Guatemala
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Ethnographic Context and Methods
Chapter 3: Gender, Masculinity, and Reproductive Health
Chapter 4: Masculinities and Reproduction in Jun
Chapter 5: Masculinity and Reproduction in Keb': Dimensions of Genocide
Chapter 6: Conceiving Risk
Chapter 7: Conceptions and Contraceptions
Chapter 8: Epidemiologies of Reproduction
Chapter 9: Conclusion
Bibliography
About this Dissertation
| School | |
|---|---|
| Department | |
| Degree | |
| Submission | |
| Language |
|
| Research Field | |
| Mot-clé | |
| Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor | |
| Committee Members |
Primary PDF
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Birth after Death: Men and Reproduction in Two K'iche' Maya Communities () | 2018-08-28 13:58:21 -0400 |
|
Supplemental Files
| Thumbnail | Title | Date Uploaded | Actions |
|---|