Normal Delivery:Body, Power, And Medicalization In The Field Of C-sections

The high rate of c-sections has become a prominent public issue, however the body politics which has demonstrated in this specific physical practice field has not yet been academic concerned. With the empirical research in the specific field of c-sections, the substance of this dissertation focuses on the tangle relation in body, power and medicalization. Based on the in-depth interviews of10mothers and6medical staffs, as well as the participatory observation of Z hospital, this study explores maternal body experience, medical risk discourse and the modernization of the state in the field of c-sections, and how these factors reconstruct the method of delivery. In the theory section, the author makes the power discourse of Foucault, the gender perspective of feminism, as well as medicalization and social control, social constructivism views to build the connection of all.According to the article, cesarean section appears to be an extremely personal choice, which is closely related to the medicalization of society and the modernization process of the country in fact. The "popular" technology is not as safe as people imagine. These mothers who chose cesarean section tell us the body will cause a variety of complications during operation and postoperative. And the body in the field of c-sections also associated with social culture and social relations. The decision about whether to accept surgery may also affect the mother’s self-perception.Modern medicine, as a kind of disciplinary power, has realized the logical shift of delivery from assumption normal to abnormal by constantly emphasized the risk of delivery. The paper also discusses the ability to social control of modern medicine from macro view of system level in structure to micro system. In order to rationalize the existence of obstetric, the doctors redefine the meaning of childbirth. Finally, delivery becomes a medical action under the effect of medical discourse. And national policy on c-sections involves its desire to join the ranks of advanced countries. Actually, these policies together with modern medical system shape on the myth of delivery which makes our life coexist with medical at the very beginning of born.We can figure out the phenomenon by learning the value of the state and system, the power condition of obstetric medical discourse, as well as medical treatment to examine the body of patient by supremacy of power. It’s the era of neo-medical discipline, and medical treatment turns to construct the reality of society.