‘The opposite of a history’

Theoretical work in critical medical anthropology and biomedicine on substance use in pregnancy has yet to develop a cohesive framework of the maternal-fetal unit (MFU) as a dynamic object. As a result, patient history, risk, and agency continue to be driven by an Enlightenment-era, monolithic conce...

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Main Author: Ashish Premkumar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Edinburgh Library 2015-09-01
Series:Medicine Anthropology Theory
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/4601
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author Ashish Premkumar
author_facet Ashish Premkumar
author_sort Ashish Premkumar
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description Theoretical work in critical medical anthropology and biomedicine on substance use in pregnancy has yet to develop a cohesive framework of the maternal-fetal unit (MFU) as a dynamic object. As a result, patient history, risk, and agency continue to be driven by an Enlightenment-era, monolithic conception of individual will. I use the example of Carla, a young woman actively using heroin in her pregnancy, to illustrate the limits of the MFU as it is currently conceived. By using critiques of subjective utilitiarianism, as discussed by Byron Good, and the concept of becoming, as elucidated by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, this article seeks to articulate an ethics of accompaniment, focused on both individual patient care and wider sociopolitical advocacy. These ethics help to redefine the MFU, and support new and unique ways of providing services to this often marginalized and vulnerable population.
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spelling doaj.art-29fd2be1d5d94d5d9eaec67c9cf780dd2022-12-21T19:51:26ZengUniversity of Edinburgh LibraryMedicine Anthropology Theory2405-691X2015-09-012210.17157/mat.2.2.1884601‘The opposite of a history’Ashish PremkumarTheoretical work in critical medical anthropology and biomedicine on substance use in pregnancy has yet to develop a cohesive framework of the maternal-fetal unit (MFU) as a dynamic object. As a result, patient history, risk, and agency continue to be driven by an Enlightenment-era, monolithic conception of individual will. I use the example of Carla, a young woman actively using heroin in her pregnancy, to illustrate the limits of the MFU as it is currently conceived. By using critiques of subjective utilitiarianism, as discussed by Byron Good, and the concept of becoming, as elucidated by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, this article seeks to articulate an ethics of accompaniment, focused on both individual patient care and wider sociopolitical advocacy. These ethics help to redefine the MFU, and support new and unique ways of providing services to this often marginalized and vulnerable population.http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/4601pregnancysubstance usebecomingassemblageprenatal care
spellingShingle Ashish Premkumar
‘The opposite of a history’
Medicine Anthropology Theory
pregnancy
substance use
becoming
assemblage
prenatal care
title ‘The opposite of a history’
title_full ‘The opposite of a history’
title_fullStr ‘The opposite of a history’
title_full_unstemmed ‘The opposite of a history’
title_short ‘The opposite of a history’
title_sort the opposite of a history
topic pregnancy
substance use
becoming
assemblage
prenatal care
url http://www.medanthrotheory.org/article/view/4601
work_keys_str_mv AT ashishpremkumar theoppositeofahistory