This article takes an autoethnographic perspective to examine women’s experiences of breastfeeding in Northern Ireland (NI). It focuses on how social and cultural attitudes inform the practices of breastfeeding. The article draws on the feminist perspectives on breastfeeding that point to women’s agency and autonomy over their bodies. It explores how breastfeeding fits into the culture of risk society and attempts to minimize the risks associated with breastfeeding by health professionals in NI. The article then discusses the questions of breastfeeding in public and extended breastfeeding in social/cultural and religious context of NI, also raising the questions of ethnic backgrounds and social class as a factor contributing to mothers’ decisions whether to breastfeed or bottle-feed their babies. Finally, the author focuses on resistance to the hegemonic discourse encouraging formula feeding in NI society. The article analyses counternarratives to the dominant narratives of how to nurse children, pointing to mothers’ agency and a sense of empowerment.
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Fall 2021
Research Article|
October 01 2021
(Auto)ethnography of Breastfeeding in Northern Ireland: Agency-Centered Approach
Marta Kempny
Marta Kempny
Marta Kempny holds a PhD in social anthropology from Queen’s University, Belfast, where she has subsequently worked as a teaching assistant. Her expertise lies in the field of migration and diaspora studies, narrative approaches to identity, and qualitative methodologies. She has conducted field research in Northern Ireland and Mexico.
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Journal of Autoethnography (2021) 2 (4): 405–420.
Citation
Marta Kempny; (Auto)ethnography of Breastfeeding in Northern Ireland: Agency-Centered Approach. Journal of Autoethnography 1 October 2021; 2 (4): 405–420. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/joae.2021.2.4.405
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