All cultures are concerned with the business of childbirth, so much so
that it can never be described as a purely physiological or even
psychological event. This volume draws together work from a range of
anthropologists and midwives who have found anthropological approaches
useful in their work. Using case studies from a variety of cultural
settings, the writers explore the centrality of the way time is
conceptualized, marked and measured to the ways of perceiving and
managing childbirth: how women, midwives and other birth attendants are
affected by issues of power and control, but also actively attempt to
change established forms of thinking and practice. The stories are
engaging as well as critical and invite the reader to think afresh about
time, and about reproduction.