Centre for the Study of Social Systems
School of Social Sciences
CSSS Colloquium
Janet Chawla
(Researcher and founder-Director of ‘MATRIKA’)
Will be presenting a paper on
Dais and Data: Findings from the Field
Date & Time: September 14, 2017 (Thursday), 3.00 pm
Venue: CSSS Committee Room (Room No: 13), SSS-II
Abstract:This presentation will center on numerical data, images, and quotes from dais drawn from three years of Jeeva research. “Underserved” areas of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh; Nandurbar in Maharashtra; Billary in Karnataka; and Bokharo in Jharkhand were the study areas.With the implementation of National Rural Health Mission, the role of Dais in childbirth had been marginalised to an extent in each of the four study sites. Nonetheless births continued taking place at home. Each study area was distinguished by its own geographical and socio-economic patterns with varying coverage by health services.
Bio:Janet Chawla is a researcher, scholar, activist and founder-director of ‘MATRIKA’, an organization focuses on Motherhood and traditional resources, information, knowledge and action. Her current involvement is with the Jeeva Project gathering data from families, dais and other providers in four remote areas-- Kangra District in Himachal; Bokaro in Jharkhand; Nandurbar in Maharashtra and Bellary District in Karnataka.
Ms. Chawla has lectured on indigenous concepts of the body and women’s health nationally and internationally as well as written books, produced a play and a film, Born at Home on birth. She was Scholar in Residence at the Five Colleges Women’s Studies Center in Massachusetts, USA. Her special interest is traditional midwives, (dais) their rituals, birth songs, notions of goddess and demoness, ghosts and ancestors: all of these span the gaps between medicine, religion and gender -(matrika-india.org).