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Gender, Power Relations and Childbirth: Negotiations with Cultural and Biomedical Discourses explores different ways in which women from a resettlement colony mobilize knowledge, resources and support systems in negotiating patriarchal control of their pregnant and birthing bodies. It analyses the way women use plural and often contradictory discourses of cultural and biomedical knowledge simultaneously, to deal with the various societal demands over their pregnancies and childbirths. It addresses questions such as how do women manoeuvre traditional and institutional exercise of power and strategize their experiences? Their strategies of compliance and resistance are explored to gain insights into the everyday experience of gender-power relations and women’s continuous efforts to counter their subordination.

Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. Theoretical Framework and Methodology. 3. Experiencing Pregnancy: Multiple Knowledges, Resources and Support Systems. 4. Striving Towards ‘Safe’ Birthing: Cultural and Biomedical Practices. 5. Post-Childbirth Celebrations: Resurgence of Cultural Practice. 6. Conclusion.