Maneuvering in Silence: Abortion Narratives and Reproductive Life Histories from the Faroe Islands

Turid Hermannsdóttir*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaperJournal articleResearchpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

I explore what silence surrounding abortion means to women in their everyday lives and the composition of their selfhood. My analysis is based on one-year of ethnographic fieldwork consisting of 20 interviews with women from the Faroe Islands and participant observation. Building upon theoretical frameworks of belonging and subjectivity studies, I discuss women’s silent maneuverings from an understanding of freedom of choice and power as complex entities and expand on the dimensions of belonging and nonbelonging. I find that women’s silent maneuverings are a navigational strategy made in a quest for belonging, and propose the concept of performed belonging.
Original languageEnglish
JournalMedical Anthropology
Volume41
Issue8
Pages (from-to)810-823
Number of pages14
ISSN0145-9740
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Sept 2022
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Abortion stigma
  • embodiment
  • performed belonging
  • reproductive citizenship
  • split subjectivity
  • the Faroe islands

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