Encyclopedia of Childbearing: Critical Perspectives

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

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Physical Properties

Description

This is a wide range of material relating to childbirth gathered in one volume. From witches, wet nurses and lullabies to postpartum depression and bonding, leading authorities in various disciplines explore the topic of childbirth and related phenomena. Basic subjects covered are birth and demographics, history, political science, anthropology, ethics and psychology. Also discussed are the different organizations and support groups that have emerged out of the childbirth and reproductive rights movements in the US since the late 1950s.

Reviews

This fine encyclopedia examines childbearing from nontechnical perspectives: social, political, psychological, artistic, etc. . . . Rothman, a respected sociologist and author of several important books on pregnancy and motherhood, rejoices in the diversity of material. . . . [T]he book is handsomely printed on permanent paper, with a few black and white photographs and drawings. Highly recommended. * Choice *
A wide range of topics is covered in the 250 signed, alphabetically arranged entries that vary from one to three pages in length. . . . The Encyclopedia of Childbearing is an interesting compendium that will be of use to students as well as general readers. * Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin *
It is a rather eclectic alphabetical arrangment of individual articles by experts and practitioners in many fields. Many are fascinating, particularily articles on birth imagery in art and the history of various aspects of childbirth in the United States. . . . [T]his is an unusual work and could be useful for many arcane topics related to childbearing. * ARBA *
Outstanding Reference Book. * RASD/ *
Well-organized, open-minded, up-to-date, and wide-ranging are just a few adjectives that describe this fascintating book, and readers of all persuasions will spend many a pleasant and educational hour with it. * Midwifery Today *

Author Bio

Barbara Katz Rothman, PhD, is professor of sociology, Baruch College and the Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York. She was the 1993 president of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. She coauthored, with Wendy Simonds, Centuries of Solace: A Comparative Analysis of Maternal Consolation Literature (1992). Dr. Rothman is author of Recreating Motherhood: Ideology and Technology in a Patriarchal Society (1989), which received the 1991 Jessie Bernard Award of the American Sociological Association, The Tentative Pregnancy: Women's Experience with Amniocentesis and Prenatal Diagnosis (1993) and In Labor: Women and Power in the Birthplace (1982, 1991).