| This research examines the historical evolution of Inuit childbirth and midwifery practices in the Canadian Arctic. It uses the theories of Michel Foucault, Ian Hacking and Bruno Latour to create a historical framework within which the development of Inuit childbirth can be understood and the possibilities and limitations for its future delineated. It incorporates five separate studies, each of which approaches the history of Inuit childbirth from a different perspective.;Together these studies construct the history of Inuit childbirth as a concept closely allied with the Inuit epistemology of knowledge. Rather than existing as a static collection of practices and rituals, childbirth epitomises the Inuit world-view and is central to it. Ultimately it is what the Inuit define it as, which is why the epistemological authority of Southern biomedicine is explicitly rejected, while biomedical techniques are enthusiastically adopted. Understanding this is the key to creating an epistemological accommodation that will fulfil both the priorities of Southern governments and health authorities and of the Inuit themselves.;The first study is a comprehensive literature review of the state of clinical, anthropological and historical research on Inuit childbirth. The second paper examines the relevance of historical theory and methodology to understanding current issues in the Canadian Arctic. The third considers the critical issues in Inuit childbirth and determines their importance for political developments in the Canadian Arctic. The fourth study examines the conflict between Southern biomedicine and Inuit epistemology of health and explores the possibility of coexistence between them, using the community birthing centres in Nunavik, the Inuulitsivik Maternities, as a possible solution. Finally, the fifth paper evaluates the success of the only other community birthing centre in the Canadian Arctic: the Rankin Inlet Birthing Centre in Nunavut. |
