The relationship between poverty and human development touches on a central aim of the International Breastfeeding Journal's editorial policy which is to support and protect the health and wellbeing of all infants through the promotion of breastfeeding. It is proposed that exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, followed by continued breastfeeding to 12 months, could prevent 1,301,000 deaths or 13% of all child deaths under 5 years in a hypothetical year. Although there is a conventional wisdom that poverty 'protects' breastfeeding in developing countries, poverty actually threatens breastfeeding, both directly and indirectly. In the light of increasingly aggressive marketing behaviour of the infant formula manufacturers and the need to protect the breastfeeding rights of working women, urgent action is required to ensure the principles and aim of the International Code of Breastmilk Substitutes, and subsequent relevant resolutions of the World Health Assembly, are implemented. If global disparities in infant health and development are to be significantly reduced, gender inequities associated with reduced access to education and inadequate nutrition for girls need to be addressed. Improving women's physical and mental health will lead to better developmental outcomes for their children.
Frisch (1990) pointed out that the strength of oral memory is its potential to uncover "how people make sense of their past, how they connect individual experience and its social context, how the past becomes part of the present and how people use it to interpret their lives and the world around them" (p. 188). In other words, the telling of stories engages the narrator(s) in a process of reflexive traverse as events are relived, retold, and reinterpreted. Although such stories may offer unique insight(s) into significant past events, they are, nevertheless, typically collected in response to the request of a researcher. Under such circumstances, the recorded narrative is influenced by the context of its collection; that is, by factors such as the fieldwork locality and setting, local politics, the dynamics of the researcher/participant and researcher/ community relationships, the expectations of the parties involved, and the techniques of data recording.In view of the importance of the narrative collection context, it can be argued that the integrity of the resultant data lies with disclosure of methodological challenges faced during their recording. Certainly, this was the case during a recent period of fieldwork, when the stories of a group of predomi-
This paper explores the oral narratives of five South Fore men who assisted with the scientific investigation of kuru . Drawing on the framework of the dr amaturgic form of epidemics, the narratives start with childhood memories of the social cri sis at the height of the kuru epidemic. With the arriv al of the European scienti sts they build to a climax of optimism over the pro spect of a cure for kuru and enhanced pers onal futur es before descending into disillusionment over the scienti sts' departure and a return to traditional village life. 186Oceania 76 , 2006 BeasleyThe form of an oral narrative is shaped by the context and performance of the storytelling, and the meaning of events recalled (see Beasley 2006;Friedman 2000; Policr 1998). The temporal and spatial content of the Fore narratives reflect the dramaturgic form of epidemics, which is used as the framework for this discussion. The drama begins with the narrators' childhood memories of the crisis at the height of the epidemic, ascends during their adolescence and adulthood toa peak of optimism associated with the arrival of the scientists and the search for a cure , before sliding into disillusionment over the lack of a cure and unrealised aspirations for a better life.
This paper explores the narratives of a group of Fore men recruited as youngsters to assist a succession of scientists to investigate kuru. Against a backdrop of European intrusion, the narrators recall their motivations to assist the scientists and describe their experiences on patrol. Reflecting on the hazards, challenges and adventures faced, these narratives draw attention to the extent to which the kuru scientists depended on their Fore assistants. However, while identifying many of their experiences as highlights of their youth, the narratives also uncover a negative undercurrent of disappointment and bitterness over unrealised youthful aspirations.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.