Suchergebnisse

Confined in France : the diary of a japanese woman - Comparison between cultures and participating observation

The author, who is Japanese, came to France to carry out a comparative survey of maternity in the two countries. During that period of research she herself gave birth to a child, which allowed her to be a "participating observer". Taking her personal case, associated with more general remarks, she follows the different steps from pregnancy to weaning, through delivery and being a mother in a maternity hospital and at home. She draws a parallel between the French and Japanese practices on several points such as the organization of the medical profession and the division of tasks, the use and the types of treatment, the work of the midwife, the fields of medicine and the system of social security. Thus she reveals the different social and cultural contexts in the practice of medicine and the distinctive characteristics in the behaviour and mindset of the two peoples.