When the Baby Falls!: The Cultural Construction of Miscarriage among Hmong Women in Australia
Author(s):
Rice, Pranee Liamputtong
Format:
Journal article
Citation:
Women & Health, Volume 30, Issue 1 (1999). pp. 85-103.
Language:
English
Abstract:
Explores traditional Hmong explanations about miscarriage & ethnomedical knowledge & practices that pertain to it, based on in-depth interviews & participant observation with 27 Hmong women who are now living in Melbourne, Australia. The loss of pregnancy creates considerable anxiety in Hmong society, not only because it calls for a socially justifiable explanation for a family's failure to extend their lineage, but also reduces the venue for a soul to be reborn into the family. Such a loss presents a threat for Hmong society since it means the extinction of the family, clan, & lineage & hence Hmong society. The cultural construction of the causes of miscarriage among the Hmong surrounds two main categories: the natural world that is related to the woman's body & her behavior; & the supernatural world. These explanations point to the influence that individuals, both living & dead, have on pregnancies. In traditional Hmong society, health is perceived as a harmony between the social & religious, or supernatural, realm. A woman being unable to bring forth an offspring because of miscarriage indicates disharmony with the living &/or between the living & the dead. 1 Table, 37 References. Adapted from the source document.