Charlotte Peterson

Social Anthropology
PhD student
 

About

• Master of Social Science with major in Social Anthropology, University of Lund
• MSc in Anthropology of Health and Illness, University of Edinburgh

Areas of Interest

Medical anthropology – focusing on reproductive health. I analyse how human reproduction is interpreted and understood in different situation and in different contexts. Human reproduction is not merely a private issue but rather a dynamic, interactive and political phenomenon where several different agents and discourses influence and shape individuals’ reproductive decisions and outcomes.

Current research

In recent decades, efforts to limit population growth, particularly in poorer countries, have been a central concern of the international community. These efforts have in general been justified as being in the interest of targeted groups; it is assumed that having fewer children will enhance the well-being and prosperity of both family and community. However, many communities continue to value large families and they respond to pressures to reduce family size according to their own norms.

My PhD thesis focuses on one such community – the Shuar people of the Ecuadorian Amazon – and explores how the choices its members make about family size relate to local, national and international ideals. I found that Shuar notions of wellbeing differ significantly from the assumptions embedded in global discourses and that neither Ecuadorian national actors nor Shuar simply internalize international norms; instead Shuar assert their own dynamic pattern of norms through their bodily practice.

Teaching and tutoring

Teach at Sida’s Minor Field Studies programme – a preparatory course for students who have received a scholarship to do a field study overseas.

Teach medical anthropology and reproductive health and rights.

Field Experience

• Ecuador: Reproductive health among the Shuar
• Peru: Gender and Women’s Organisations among the Asháninka
• Ethiopia: Environmental issues and threats facing the wildlife in Yabelo National Park.