Roman breastfeeding: control and affect
Abstract
Despite the fact that breastfeeding was a vital gesture in Roman times since milk substitutes endangered the life of infants, the occurrences of literary and visual representations of ordinary, domestic breastfeeding are very few. This article offers hypotheses concerning this dearth of representations, firstly postulating a real disinterest, related to male disgust of, or distance with, female physiological processes, and, secondly, a strategic disinterest, which may be accounted for by male envy of power and pleasure. Lastly, it investigates various male strategies of depreciation and appropriation of breastfeeding, and the subsequent female internalization of negative messages about it.
Keywords
- Ancient History
- Gender Studies
- Roman History
- Women's Studies
- Women's History
- History of Childhood
- Social History
- Family history
- Breastfeeding
- Women and Gender Studies
- Patriarchy
Autrices·teurs
Documents et liens
Informations sur la publication
Institutions:
Auteur·e·s:
Maison d'édition:
Johns Hopkins University Press, Arethusa, Volume 50, Number 3, Fall 2017, pp. 369-384
Langues:
Anglais
Type de média:
Ville:
Baltimore
Année:
2017
Thèmes:
Disciplines:
Thématiques:
Enfance – adolescence
Famille – parentalité – parenté
Grossesse – naissance – allaitement
Branches:
Sciences de l'Antiquité
Type:
Article