Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
'Luring the infant into life' : exploring infant mortality and infant-feeding in Khayelitsha, Cape Town
The ethnographic data presented in this dissertation is drawn from 20 weeks of informal interviews, participant observation, and other creative research methods such as the use of social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, WhatsApp interviews, focus groups and pictures. Drawing on concepts o...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Social Anthropology
2016
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867613212338290688 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Majombozi, Ziyanda |
| author2 | MacDonald, Helen |
| author_browse | MacDonald, Helen Majombozi, Ziyanda |
| author_facet | MacDonald, Helen Majombozi, Ziyanda |
| author_sort | Majombozi, Ziyanda |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The ethnographic data presented in this dissertation is drawn from 20 weeks of informal interviews, participant observation, and other creative research methods such as the use of social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, WhatsApp interviews, focus groups and pictures. Drawing on concepts of managing risk, this dissertation demonstrates that in a world where life is precarious due to illnesses, poverty and other social ills that reflect the political economy of the different spaces, child care is about sustaining the life of an infant. This paper explores the different ways that the state (represented through the National Department of Health) and mothers imagine themselves to be sustaining infant life. It further explores the complexities that arise when the state, external health institutions as well as the mother together with her family and friends imagine the process of sustaining infant life differently. This paper argues that infant feeding choices reflect the different discourses that surround 'sustaining life' and 'managing risk'. It aims to show that the introduction of exclusive breastfeeding policies is a manifestation of the state's ideas on how to sustain infant life. In contrast, the introduction of medicine and complimentary feeds reflect the ideas mothers have for sustaining the lives of their infants. This paper suggests that, although exclusive breastfeeding is important, there are different ways to sustain infant life that are not within the biomedical framework. Alas, these are often dismissed as barriers to exclusive breastfeeding and isolated from other tools used to sustain infant life and to address infant mortality. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/20068 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:33.381Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publishDateRange | 2016 |
| publishDateSort | 2016 |
| publisher | Social Anthropology |
| publisherStr | Social Anthropology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/20068 'Luring the infant into life' : exploring infant mortality and infant-feeding in Khayelitsha, Cape Town Majombozi, Ziyanda MacDonald, Helen Social Anthropology The ethnographic data presented in this dissertation is drawn from 20 weeks of informal interviews, participant observation, and other creative research methods such as the use of social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, WhatsApp interviews, focus groups and pictures. Drawing on concepts of managing risk, this dissertation demonstrates that in a world where life is precarious due to illnesses, poverty and other social ills that reflect the political economy of the different spaces, child care is about sustaining the life of an infant. This paper explores the different ways that the state (represented through the National Department of Health) and mothers imagine themselves to be sustaining infant life. It further explores the complexities that arise when the state, external health institutions as well as the mother together with her family and friends imagine the process of sustaining infant life differently. This paper argues that infant feeding choices reflect the different discourses that surround 'sustaining life' and 'managing risk'. It aims to show that the introduction of exclusive breastfeeding policies is a manifestation of the state's ideas on how to sustain infant life. In contrast, the introduction of medicine and complimentary feeds reflect the ideas mothers have for sustaining the lives of their infants. This paper suggests that, although exclusive breastfeeding is important, there are different ways to sustain infant life that are not within the biomedical framework. Alas, these are often dismissed as barriers to exclusive breastfeeding and isolated from other tools used to sustain infant life and to address infant mortality. 2016-06-22T08:52:40Z 2016-06-22T08:52:40Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MSocSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20068 eng application/pdf Social Anthropology Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Social Anthropology Majombozi, Ziyanda 'Luring the infant into life' : exploring infant mortality and infant-feeding in Khayelitsha, Cape Town |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | 'Luring the infant into life' : exploring infant mortality and infant-feeding in Khayelitsha, Cape Town |
| title_full | 'Luring the infant into life' : exploring infant mortality and infant-feeding in Khayelitsha, Cape Town |
| title_fullStr | 'Luring the infant into life' : exploring infant mortality and infant-feeding in Khayelitsha, Cape Town |
| title_full_unstemmed | 'Luring the infant into life' : exploring infant mortality and infant-feeding in Khayelitsha, Cape Town |
| title_short | 'Luring the infant into life' : exploring infant mortality and infant-feeding in Khayelitsha, Cape Town |
| title_sort | luring the infant into life exploring infant mortality and infant feeding in khayelitsha cape town |
| topic | Social Anthropology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20068 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT majomboziziyanda luringtheinfantintolifeexploringinfantmortalityandinfantfeedinginkhayelitshacapetown |