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Title details for Reproduction on the Reservation by Brianna Theobald - Available

Reproduction on the Reservation

Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Colonialism in the Long Twentieth Century

by Brianna Theobald
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This pathbreaking book documents the transformation of reproductive practices and politics on Indian reservations from the late nineteenth century to the present, integrating a localized history of childbearing, motherhood, and activism on the Crow Reservation in Montana with an analysis of trends affecting Indigenous women more broadly. As Brianna Theobald illustrates, the federal government and local authorities have long sought to control Indigenous families and women's reproduction, using tactics such as coercive sterilization and removal of Indigenous children into the white foster care system. But Theobald examines women's resistance, showing how they have worked within families, tribal networks, and activist groups to confront these issues. Blending local and intimate family histories with the histories of broader movements such as WARN (Women of All Red Nations), Theobald links the federal government's intrusion into Indigenous women's reproductive and familial decisions to the wider history of eugenics and the reproductive rights movement. She argues convincingly that colonial politics have always been — and remain — reproductive politics.
By looking deeply at one tribal nation over more than a century, Theobald offers an especially rich analysis of how Indigenous women experienced pregnancy and motherhood under evolving federal Indian policy. At the heart of this history are the Crow women who displayed creativity and fortitude in struggling for reproductive self-determination.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Critical Indigeneities

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 21, 2019

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

      • ISBN: 9781469653181

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781469653181

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781469653181
      • File size: 13844 KB
    Kindle restrictions

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      September 6, 2019

      Theobald (history, Univ. of Rochester) presents a thoroughly researched study into the ways that Native women in the United States have resisted and subverted government efforts to usurp their reproductive autonomy. Beginning with the establishment of reservations in the late 19th century and continuing through the present day, Theobald illustrates how government efforts to interfere with traditional Native reproductive practices have served an assimilationist agenda by attempting to undercut the influence of Native midwives and healers. In chapters that alternate between a focus on nationwide policies and detailed examinations of the Crow Reservation, MT, the author shows how Native women continued to employ traditional reproductive medicine while also taking advantage of reservation hospitals and birth control. Inadequate access to medical services and periods of coercive sterilization by reservation doctors in the 1930s and 1970s inspired Native women to organize clubs and health committees to advocate for women's health care needs, as well as encouraged Native women to enter the medical profession. VERDICT Theobald's use of oral histories and interviews with Native women makes for an intimate, affecting exploration of resilience under assimilationist pressures.--Sara Shreve, Newton, KS

      Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook
Kindle restrictions

subjects

Languages

  • English

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