Anth 147
Discussion Questions
Villarosa, Linda. “Why America’s Black Mothers and Babies are in a Life-or-Death Crisis”
The
New York Times Magazine
, April 11.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/magazine/black-mothers-babies-death-maternal-mortality.html?tp=i-
H43-A3-C9X-1liU2S-1y-3HKWb-1c-1lgFWR-19HzZi
Your essay response should be approximately 250 words, typed, double-spaced. Spell-check and
proof-read before handing it in to your TA.
Be sure to include your full name and section no.
Villarosa asserts: “The reasons for the black-white divide in both infant and maternal mortality
have been debated by researchers and doctors for more than two decades. But recently there
has been growing acceptance of what has largely been, for the medical establishment, a
shocking idea: For black women in America, an inescapable atmosphere of societal and systemic
racism can create a kind of toxic physiological stress—results in conditions including
hypertension and pre-eclampsia—that lead directly to higher rates of infant and maternal
death.”
1.
Identify and describe at least 2 ways that the women described in this article have
experienced societal and systemic racism. How does Villarosa’s profile of particular
women’s experiences demonstrate the effects of macro-level racism (systemic racism)
on individuals’ health? In your response, define and refer to Arlene Geronimus’ concept
of ‘weathering.’
2.
Explain what researchers have found regarding the correlations between black women’s
level of education and their risk of experiencing infant and maternal mortality. Given
what we learned from the film, “Unequal Causes,” why is this finding surprising, and
how does Villarosa’s article help us make sense of this paradox?
3.
Drawing on the story of Simone Landrum and Giwa, explain how doulas might help
ameliorate the unequal rates of infant and maternal mortality among Black and minority
women. What are some of the challenges of introducing doula care for Black women?
4.
Thinking anthropologically about the ways macro-level (systemic) forces shape individual
experiences, identify 2 similarities and 2 differences in the ways the health care systems
functioned to cause women harm in the cases described by Villarosa and Starobinets.
Then explore how each text reveals efforts underway (however small) to change the
system.
