Il ruolo sociale della midwife nel Gambia contemporaneo: significare la cura tra approccio biomedico e sapere islamico - The Social Role of the Midwife in Contemporary Gambia: Giving Meaning to Care Between Biomedical Approach and Islamic Knowledge
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1473/ea.v13i1.503Parole chiave:
midwife, Gambia, biomedicine, Islam, careAbstract
This contribution discusses the role of the midwife within an urban Gambian area. Focusing on the context where Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) operate I underline different tasks that they take up especially among nulliparous women who turn to their knowledge to ask for help, suggestions and spiritual healing. Special attention will be drawn to the relationships between global health policies and other emic definitions of care incorporated in the Islamic discourse and in conversations held with my informants. I argue that for a complete understanding of these influences it is fundamental to take into consideration the historical events that today led TBAs to adopt either model depending on specific situations and needs.
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