7 research outputs found
Working Mothers and "Machos Completos" - Gendered Modernity in Fertility Surveys in Colombia (1960s to 1970s)
In 1960s and 1970s Colombia, physicians warned about demographic growth â or the âpopulation explosionâ â and addressed Colombian women and men as subjects who should come to understand the need to limit the size of their family. So-called fertility surveys were the key to understand existing attitudes with regard to the question. Furthermore, the doctors believed that the dissemination of their results would convince policy makers of the need to create family planning programs. Looking beyond this strategic moment, this article analyzes the gendered assumptions on women, men, sexuality and partnerships that informed the surveys and their results. In doing so, it places this medical-demographic knowledge production in the broader context of development and modernization debates in Colombia. Physicians became allies of feminist demands for womenâs access to education and the job market, opened the discussion for sexual education, and joined ranks with the broad coalition that advocated for responsible parenthood. At the same time, the âmĂ©dicos-demĂłgrafosâ planned the distribution of contraceptive methods without much regard for womenâs health. In highlighting these tensions, the article contributes to the complex history of gender, medicine and health in the Americas.In 1960s and 1970s Colombia, physicians warned about demographic growth â or the âpopulation explosionâ â and addressed Colombian women and men as subjects who should come to understand the need to limit the size of their family. So-called fertility surveys were the key to understand existing attitudes with regard to the question. Furthermore, the doctors believed that the dissemination of their results would convince policy makers of the need to create family planning programs. Looking beyond this strategic moment, this article analyzes the gendered assumptions on women, men, sexuality and partnerships that informed the surveys and their results. In doing so, it places this medical-demographic knowledge production in the broader context of development and modernization debates in Colombia. Physicians became allies of feminist demands for womenâs access to education and the job market, opened the discussion for sexual education, and joined ranks with the broad coalition that advocated for responsible parenthood. At the same time, the âmĂ©dicos-demĂłgrafosâ planned the distribution of contraceptive methods without much regard for womenâs health. In highlighting these tensions, the article contributes to the complex history of gender, medicine and health in the Americas.Durante las dĂ©cadas 1960 y 1970, mĂ©dicos colombianos se mostraban preocupados ante el crecimiento demogrĂĄfico â la denominada âbomba de poblaciĂłnâ â dirigiĂ©ndose a mujeres y hombres colombianos como sujetos que debĂan aprender a querer limitar el nĂșmero de sus hijos. Las asĂ llamadas âencuestas de fecundidadâ se consideraban como clave para comprender las actitudes del pueblo colombiano frente al control de la natalidad. AdemĂĄs, los resultados de las encuestas fueron usados por los mĂ©dicos para convencer a dirigentes polĂticos de que tenĂan que implementar programas de planificaciĂłn familiar. MĂĄs allĂĄ de este uso estratĂ©gico, el presente artĂculo analiza las ideas sobre mujeres, hombres, sexualidad y relaciones maritales implicadas en las encuestas y la interpretaciĂłn de sus resultados. De esta manera, el artĂculo sitĂșa este conocimiento mĂ©dico-demogrĂĄfico en un contexto mĂĄs amplio de los debates acerca de desarrollo y modernizaciĂłn en el Colombia de la Ă©poca. Los mĂ©dicos podĂan ser aliados de las demandas feministas por el acceso de mujeres a oportunidades educativas y laborales. TambiĂ©n abrieron espacios para hablar sobre la educaciĂłn sexual y se unieron a la amplia coaliciĂłn que proponĂa una paternidad responsable. Al mismo tiempo, los mĂ©dicos-demĂłgrafos planearon la distribuciĂłn de mĂ©todos anticonceptivos considerando poco la salud de las mujeres que los usaban. Al mostrar estas tensiones, el artĂculo contribuye a la historia compleja de gĂ©nero, medicina y salud en AmĂ©rica Latina
Buenos Aires in Zeiten der Cholera und des Gelbfiebers
Zu Beginn der Arbeit an einem mehrjĂ€hrigen Buchprojekt ist manchmal nicht zu erahnen, welche AktualitĂ€t das Thema zum Erscheinungszeitpunkt erlangen wird. Die hier besprochene Monografie von Antonio Carbone erschien im Jahr 2022 und damit noch mitten in der von der Coronapandemie geprĂ€gten Gegenwart. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt diskutierten Historiker_innen auch auĂerhalb fachwissenschaftlicher Kreise schon seit zwei Jahren, ob historische Parallelen oder gar Lehren aus der Geschichte fĂŒr den Umgang mit der pandemischen Krise angebracht und hilfreich seien. In der hier besprochenen Dissertation sind die Cholera- und Gelbfieberepidemien, die Buenos Aires in den spĂ€ten 1860er- und frĂŒhen 1870er-Jahren heimsuchten, Kristallisationspunkte, an denen sich Debatten um urbane VerĂ€nderungen zuspitzten, verdichteten und an WirkmĂ€chtigkeit gewannen