Haunting Images: A Cultural Account of Selective Reproduction in Vietnam
Tine M Gammeltoft
(Author)
Description
Based on years of careful ethnographic fieldwork in Hanoi, Haunting Images offers a frank and compassionate account of the moral quandaries that accompany innovations in biomedical technology. At the center of the book are case studies of thirty pregnant women whose fetuses were labeled "abnormal" after an ultrasound examination. By following these women and their relatives through painful processes of reproductive decision making, Tine M. Gammeltoft offers intimate ethnographic insights into everyday life in contemporary Vietnam and a sophisticated theoretical exploration of how subjectivities are forged in the face of moral assessments and demands. Across the globe, ultrasonography and other technologies for prenatal screening offer prospective parents new information and present them with agonizing decisions never faced in the past. For anthropologists, this diagnostic capability raises important questions about individuality and collectivity, responsibility and choice. Arguing for more sustained anthropological attention to human quests for belonging, Haunting Images addresses existential questions of love and loss that concern us all.Product Details
Price
$41.94
Publisher
University of California Press
Publish Date
February 22, 2014
Pages
336
Dimensions
6.0 X 8.9 X 0.9 inches | 1.0 pounds
Language
English
Type
Paperback
EAN/UPC
9780520278431
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About the Author
Tine M. Gammeltoft is Professor of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen. She is on the Editorial Advisory Board for the journal Reproductive Health Matters.
Reviews
"This deft and often moving volume makes a signature contribution to the growing anthropological literature on Vietnam ... Keenly observed and compellingly written."-- (09/09/2015)
"Beautifully written . . . of interest to scholar's in Asian, women's, and gender studies and anthropology, reproductive health, and disability studies."-- (08/01/2014)
"This is a powerful, haunting cultural account of selective reproduction in Vietnam. I encourage each reader to think through what this means and what this tells us about pregnancy management throughout the world."-- (08/15/2015)
"This is a moving ethnography that 'haunts' the reader long thereafter. . . . Daring and promising."-- (05/25/2015)
"Powerful, heart-wrenching, and beautifully written . . . As anthropology, the book is also a fine example of the ethnographer's craft. . . . Highly recommended."-- (04/17/2015)
"Fascinating and powerful . . . Haunting Images is an outstanding piece of scholarship that brings new dimensions to thinking about key themes in social theory."-- (03/27/2015)
"Beautifully written . . . a must read."-- (05/01/2015)
"Beautifully written . . . of interest to scholar's in Asian, women's, and gender studies and anthropology, reproductive health, and disability studies."-- (08/01/2014)
"This is a powerful, haunting cultural account of selective reproduction in Vietnam. I encourage each reader to think through what this means and what this tells us about pregnancy management throughout the world."-- (08/15/2015)
"This is a moving ethnography that 'haunts' the reader long thereafter. . . . Daring and promising."-- (05/25/2015)
"Powerful, heart-wrenching, and beautifully written . . . As anthropology, the book is also a fine example of the ethnographer's craft. . . . Highly recommended."-- (04/17/2015)
"Fascinating and powerful . . . Haunting Images is an outstanding piece of scholarship that brings new dimensions to thinking about key themes in social theory."-- (03/27/2015)
"Beautifully written . . . a must read."-- (05/01/2015)
