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Understanding life through unwanted childlessness: Ethnography and fiction from Ghana, Bangladesh and 'dystopia' (Respond to this article at http://www.therai.org.uk/at/debate)
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 04:48 authored by Sjaak van der Geest, Papreen NaharPapreen NaharDrawing on ethnographic work in Ghana and Bangladesh, and on a British dystopian novel, we sketch the social, emotional, and existential consequences of childlessness for women who desperately want a child, as is still common in the two countries where the authors carried out research. For these women, childlessness leads to loneliness and a sense of uselessness. Underlying these emotions is the notion that children constitute and personify continuity; childlessness thus stands for the discontinuation of life.
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- Published
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- Published version
Journal
Anthropology TodayISSN
0268-540XPublisher
WileyExternal DOI
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3Volume
29Page range
3-7Department affiliated with
- Global Health and Infection Publications
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- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2022-09-23First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2022-09-22Usage metrics
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