Uruguayan Review of Anthropology and Ethnography On line: ISSN 2393-6886

Discapacidad y hermandad en el conocimiento antropológico.

2025-09-17T09:29:10-03:00

This article aims to analyze the links between sisterhood, disability and anthropological knowledge, drawing on a research experience with people with and without disabilities in dance groups. It explores three dimensions: (i) the relationship between disability and anthropology in research and in the construction of approaches and analysis; (ii) the place of bodily and kinship experience and affectation in knowledge processes; and (iii) the construction of a standpoint and an ethnographic commitment where sisterhood occupies a place of relevance. In this sense, an epistemological and political concern is raised, arguing in favor of an affective, corporal and relational knowledge and seeking to amplify anthropological approaches in dialogue with disability and sisterhood understood as sources of critique.

Objetos persona entre los tének de la Huasteca potosina, México

2025-06-05T11:14:05-03:00

This text aims to examine a set of objects that the Tének communities of the Huasteca Potosina, Mexico, attribute to them as personal qualities. The processes through which these objects acquire humanity are analyzed, considering a set of rituals that give them strength, allow coexistence with them and, finally, give them a “rest” after having fulfilled a useful life of work and community participation. Among the objects discussed are the devil masks, used by dancers during Holy Week; the tecomate designed for the dance of the voladores; musical instruments with customary sounds, such as harps, jaranas and teponaztle; the arches built during celebrations in honor of the dead; and the sahumadores, clay equipment that accompany a large part of the tének ritual. In all the cases analyzed, the objects possess a spirit that gives them intentionality and a subjectivity comparable to human consciousness. In this context, and following Descola's (2012) arguments, the relationship between objects and people can be examined from an animist ontology, which is characterized mostly by a system of properties of existing beings in which the similarity of interiorities and the differentiation of physicalities prevail. For this work, ethnographic information derived from fieldwork carried out over the last two decades is recovered.

Images of my hometown.” Aripao and its meanings through the eyes of the children of this Afro-descendant community, Bolívar State, Venezuela.

2025-06-07T19:43:14-03:00

Human beings do not only establish a close relationship with the places of which they belong, but also bestow them with meanings that could represent positive feelings, such as a sense of belonging, or negative ones, such as a feeling of anguish or fear. The purpose of this article is to present the results obtained from a preliminary study conducted on the meanings that the Aripaeño children attribute to their hometown, known as Aripao, an Afro-descendant community of maroon descendants, located in the Lower Caura River, Bolívar State, Venezuela. We consider that the participation of children in this type of studies is important as they are active agents in the construction of their own physical and cultural environment. We argue that the meanings the Aripaeño children assigned to Aripao as 'sense(s) of place', whether to the town as a whole or to a particular site in it, represent their own perceptions and attitudes, and are culturally revealing as these express close ties of historic-cultural roots as well as an ethnic-racial identity with their community.

Políticas y lactancias: una conversación sobre investigación, vida y resistencia con Ester Massó Guijarro.

2025-07-09T13:57:35-03:00

We spoke with Ester Massó Guijarro, an anthropologist and philosopher dedicated to the subject of human lactation, with extensive experience and bibliographic production on the topic. Based on questions asked by the interviewers, Ester tells us how she transformed her own experiences as a woman-mother-breastfeeding into a research object. During the interview, we also reflected on how academic agendas have been constructed and identified the difficulties that breastfeeding has (and continues to have) in gaining recognition as a relevant topic within the Social and Human Sciences. We also address some tensions linked to various feminist and activist movements and, in particular, we problematize the ambivalence that the professionalization of lactation consultants can lead to. We also present concepts such as agency and lactating corporalities. Finally, we discuss some challenges that nursing anthropologists face, and the strategies they implement in their practice.

Breastfeeding in contemporary photoperformances and a brief overview of the history of Western art: goddesses, saints and women

2025-07-18T12:53:48-03:00

This article proposes a critical analysis of representations of breastfeeding in the history of art, contrasting idealized images of goddesses, saints, and mythological symbols with contemporary works by female artists. Artistic works (sculptures, paintings, performances, and photographs) guide the writing by revealing lactating figures throughout different historical periods. The ostentation of breasts and the profusion of breastfeeding in the past follow a phase of less abundance until arriving at the works produced by visual artists, mothers, who make visible an action reserved for the intimate space and challenge the dominant representation regime regarding breastfeeding. Through an ethnographic and autoethnographic approach, the authors investigate how breastfeeding was symbolically appropriated by patriarchal discourses, often emptying the experience of lactating women of their agency and subjectivity. In contrast, the work of contemporary artists such as Roberta Barros, Ana Casas Broda, Catherine Opie, Malu Teodoro, Elisa Elsie, Tainã Mello & Tarsila Alves, who use self-representation as a language, is discussed. These artists create scenes in which the mother's body becomes a field of aesthetic and political enunciation, breaking with stereotypes of purity, passivity and sacrifice. The images are read taking into account their history, cultural context and symbolic meanings. Through these observations, a new visual repertoire for the nursing body is proposed, which allows us to reimagine motherhood based on the experience lived and performed by women themselves in contemporary times.

Filhos biológicos, netos, bisnetos, “filha de leite” e filhos da “patroa”

2025-05-15T10:04:40-03:00

In this article, part of a broader research on the topic of cross-nursing, I analyze the trajectory of a black woman, now elderly, from the Rocinha favela, in Rio de Janeiro. Based on her narrative, I seek to reflect on the plurality of forms and relationships through which care work is exercised, analyzing its insertion in different “circuits of care”: as “help”, “obligation” and “profession” (Guimarães and Vieira, 2020). The care she provided throughout her life involved her biological children, neighborhood children, a “foster daughter”, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and the children of her employers, since she worked as a domestic worker for many years. If in the context of “care as “help” the relationship is one of symmetry and voluntariness, in the experience of “care as a profession” the relationship was crossed by hierarchies and inequalities. Even so, the decisions and the way in which care should be exercised were in dispute, pointing to the fact that social markers of difference, such as class, race and gender, should not be naturalized. Because when articulated, depending on the context, they can enable action even from a limited point of power (Benítez, 2019, Piscitelli, 2008).

Representations of women mothers on the feeding of newborns in a public sector maternity hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay.

2025-09-02T12:23:44-03:00

This study was aimed at understanding the representations and sources of maternal knowledge about newborn feeding in a public maternity hospital in Montevideo, Uruguay. Theoretically, it is based on the consideration of social representations as a relevant approach to understand the ways in which shared collective meanings about newborn feeding are intertwined and translated into practices that favor or not breastfeeding, a practice recommended by supranational and national health organizations. A qualitative ethnographic study was carried out that combined 30 semi-structured interviews with qualified informants (5), health personnel (19) and mothers (6) as well as 11 observations in the maternity ward studied between August and December 2021 in different scenarios within the maternity ward. A sociohermeneutic analysis of the discourse was carried out and the sources were triangulated. The results indicate that the ways in which mothers represent the feeding of newborns combine different aspects, including biomedical discourses and intergenerationally transmitted knowledge. Likewise, a tension is identified between the discourse of breastfeeding promotion and care practices that tend to facilitate the use of commercial infant formula. Maternal representations of breastfeeding are influenced by myths and scientific narratives of risk, which shape their decisions. The formula is conceived as a quick resource to satiate appetite, meet expectations of weight gain, longer sleep duration, and is often legitimized by medical indication. These assessments, together with medicalized practices of newborn feeding, conflict with the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding.

Ela/Dela/a World Breastfeeding Week: presences and absences in the world's largest breastfeeding promotion campaign

2025-06-06T13:18:40-03:00

Resumo: Considerando os inúmeros benefícios associados à amamentação para a saúde materno-infantil, aumentar os índices de aleitamento exclusivo até seis meses e continuado até dois anos ou mais consiste em meta para uma série de órgãos de saúde e governos, entre eles o do Brasil. De acordo com o discurso biomédico, suas vantagens são universais e impactam positivamente a saúde pública, a economia e o meio ambiente. Além de ser um direito humano cujo acesso é afetado pelos marcadores sociais da diferença, é uma prática atravessada por fatores biológicos, sociais, culturais e políticos. Diante disso, tem sido necessário políticas públicas eficazes e incentivo contínuo para que seus índices aumentem. Uma das estratégias utilizadas para isso é a Semana Mundial de Amamentação, onde são produzidos materiais que buscam sensibilizar acerca da importância do incentivo, apoio e proteção ao aleitamento. Aqui consideramos os cartazes e suas ausências e presenças, observadas ao longo de mais de 30 anos. Partimos do pressuposto que a comunicação é capaz de influenciar percepções, práticas e políticas e que as campanhas constroem significados, exigindo atenção ao contexto e à diversidade dos seus interlocutores. Inicialmente focados em mães e bebês, aos poucos os cartazes incluíram pais, profissionais de saúde e maior diversidade étnico-racial, com destaque recente para pessoas com deficiência e famílias em situação de vulnerabilidade. Apesar dos avanços em representatividade, há desafios quanto à responsabilização excessiva das mulheres e à ausência de famílias que fogem ao modelo cisheteronormativo, fazendo com que esse direito reprodutivo não seja acessado por todos.

Resumen: Considerando los numerosos beneficios asociados a la lactancia materna para la salud materno-infantil, aumentar los índices de lactancia exclusiva hasta los seis meses y continuada hasta los dos años o más constituye una meta para una serie de órganos de salud y gobiernos, entre ellos el de Brasil. De acuerdo con el discurso biomédico, sus ventajas son universales e impactan positivamente la salud pública, la economía y el medio ambiente. Además de ser un derecho humano cuyo acceso se ve afectado por los marcadores sociales de la diferencia, es una práctica atravesada por factores biológicos, sociales, culturales y políticos. Ante esto, ha sido necesario implementar políticas públicas eficaces e incentivar continuamente para que sus índices aumenten. Una de las estrategias utilizadas para ello es la Semana Mundial de la Lactancia Materna, donde se producen materiales que buscan sensibilizar acerca de la importancia del incentivo, apoyo y protección a la lactancia. Aquí consideramos los carteles y sus ausencias y presencias, observadas a lo largo de más de 30 años. Partimos del supuesto de que la comunicación es capaz de influir en percepciones, prácticas y políticas, y que las campañas construyen significados, exigiendo atención al contexto y a la diversidad de sus interlocutores. Inicialmente enfocados en madres y bebés, poco a poco los carteles incluyeron padres, profesionales de la salud y mayor diversidad étnico-racial, con destaque reciente para personas con discapacidad y familias en situación de vulnerabilidad. A pesar de los avances en representatividad, existen desafíos en cuanto a la responsabilización excesiva de las mujeres y a la ausencia de familias que escapan al modelo cisheteronormativo, haciendo que este derecho reproductivo no sea accesible para todos.

Abstract: Considering the numerous benefits associated with breastfeeding for maternal and child health, increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates until six months and continued breastfeeding until two years or more is a goal for several organizations and governments, including Brazil. According to the biomedical discourse, its advantages are universal and positively impact public health, the economy, and the environment. However, beyond being a human right whose access is affected by social markers of difference, it is a practice influenced by biological, social, cultural, and political factors. Given this, effective public policies and continuous encouragement have been necessary to ensure breastfeeding rates continue to rise. One of the strategies used for this is World Breastfeeding Week, where materials are produced to raise awareness about the importance of encouragement, support, and protection for breastfeeding. Here, we consider the posters and their absences and presences observed over 30 years. We assume that communication can influence perceptions, practices, and policies and that campaigns create meanings, requiring attention to context and the diversity of audiences. Initially focused on mothers and babies, the posters gradually included fathers, healthcare professionals, and greater ethnic-racial diversity, with a recent focus on people with disabilities and families in vulnerable situations. Despite progress in representation, challenges remain regarding the excessive responsibility placed on women and the absence of families that deviate from the cisheteronormative model, making this reproductive right not accessible to everyone.

Producir humanidad a partir de leche donada: un análisis de las redes de laboratorios de los Bancos de Leche Humana

2025-07-23T14:59:25-03:00

I examine the accomplishments of the laboratory networks of Human Milk Banks (HMBs) in Brazil, which I describe as manifestations of socially and scientifically sanctioned discourses and practices. I argue that the donation of 'maternal' milk, which is considered 'biomedically' to be a raw material and a "natural female" body fit for specific consumption, becomes a cultural achievement when it undergoes a series of chemical and social procedures. In this way, it is transformed into a product of the biotechnological complex and scientific thought that is fit for consumption by all of humanity. Thus, it becomes a universal, purified product that depersonalises and decentralises the feminine role in milk production through technological and bureaucratic control and 'disciplinarisation' of women and their homes. To achieve this, I engage in dialogue between contemporary anthropological approaches to the social studies of science and technology and my experience as a milk donor and anthropology researcher. I expand the research by using libraries and virtual search platforms to investigate materials from fields such as biomedicine, biology, and nutrition, which are within the scope of the socio-anthropological analyses proposed here.

Keywords: Human Milk Bank; Milk donation; 'disciplinarization'; control; purification.

Public Health and Penal Abolitionism: the National Breastfeeding Campaign exposing the problem.

2025-10-05T13:47:04-03:00

This article analyzes the exclusion of incarcerated women from public policies and national campaigns aimed at supporting breastfeeding, highlighting this omission as part of the racial logic that guides the organized abandonment by the State. Although breastfeeding is widely recognized as important for the health of the baby, the lactating person, and the planet, the conditions of the prison system make it impossible to guarantee this right. Prison, marked by racial and punitive logics, is incompatible with the care and bonding practices involved in human breastfeeding. We analyze the absence and presence in the production of regulations and public policies in the fields of public health and law, respectively, problematizing the distribution of attention to breastfeeding for people deprived of liberty between these fields from the radical critical notion of the modern subject of law mobilized by Denise Ferreira da Silva. In this way, we demonstrate how this exclusion is not due to an administrative failure, but to a structural dynamic of the State, which operates to maintain incarceration as a tool for racial, social, and gender control. Based on the abolitionist feminist perspectives of Ruth Wilson Gilmore and Angela Davis, we propose that addressing breastfeeding issues in prison requires more than just piecemeal adjustments; it demands a rethinking of society as a whole. The abolitionist perspective offers a critical view that denounces the inadequacy of prisons to guarantee fundamental rights and points to the urgent need for decarceration as a condition for promoting comprehensive public health.

Presentation. Human lactation, care and intersectionality

2025-11-28T11:39:01-03:00

The breast as contested territory: review of a History of the Breast. Yalom, M. (1998). A history of the breast. Ballantine Books.

2025-06-28T15:16:45-03:00

Review of the book Yalom, M. (1998). A history of the breast. Ballantine Books.