Traditional Midwives

Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Robbie Davis-Floyd (Rice University), Betty-Anne Daviss, Inayat Ali (Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan)

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English

Routledge
30 October 2025

Anthropology; Social & cultural anthropology; Medical sociology; Human reproduction, growth & development; Midwifery

Series: Social Science Perspectives on Childbirth and Reproduction

Traditional Midwives: Cross-Cultural Perspectives is a pioneering work that delves deeply into the worlds of traditional midwives, shedding light on their practices, roles, and the immense cultural value they hold within their respective communities wherever they are still allowed to practice. This book not only champions the significance of traditional midwifery but also critiques the (often misguided) global and national initiatives that seek to move all childbirths into biomedical facilities. These facilities, as clearly shown by the chapters in this book, are frequently underequipped and under-staffed, often providing substandard care that can often be obstetrically violent and abusive. The push to move all births into such facilities disregards the quality of care that traditional midwives provide and undermines the trust and rapport they have built within their respective communities. This global push is particularly detrimental to rural women because biomedical facilities are often located far away from such communities. This geographical distance makes access to maternity care difficult, if not impossible, especially for rural women. Furthermore, almost none of the biomedical practitioners are willing to live and practice in such remote areas, thereby leaving thousands of (especially rural) women without any maternity care provision.

Other critical points that this book addresses are the failures of the governmental efforts to train traditional midwives in higher-level skills. As the chapters in this book also clearly demonstrate, the essence of traditional midwifery lies in experiential learning, where skills are passed down through observation, practice, and mentoring.

By bringing to light the multiple challenges that are currently being faced by traditional midwives and the shortcomings of biomedical facilities, this book serves as a crucial reminder of the need for culturally safe and sensitive community- based maternity care that traditional midwives are fully able to provide. It is an essential read for policymakers, healthcare professionals, students, and for anyone who is interested in traditional midwives and their practices.

Edited by: Robbie Davis-Floyd (Rice University), Betty-Anne Daviss, Inayat Ali (Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan)
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781032461212
ISBN 10: 1032461217
Series: Social Science Perspectives on Childbirth and Reproduction
Pages: 468
Publication Date: 30 October 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Robbie Davis-Floyd PhD, Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Anthropology, Rice University is a well- known cultural/medical/reproductive anthropologist, and an international speaker and researcher in transformational models of childbirth, midwifery, obstetrics, and reproduction. Betty- Anne Daviss MA, BMJ, RM is a Canadian registered midwife who, for almost 50 years, has combined her midwifery practice with her research in the social sciences and in clinical epidemiology. Inayat Ali PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, Fatima Jinnah Women University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, a Pakistani medical anthropologist, and a public health expert.