{"title":"“Athra,” a maternal illness in the rural Punjabi-Pakistan, as a source of stigma","authors":"Rubeena Slamat, Piet Bracke, Melissa Ceuterick","doi":"10.1016/j.ajss.2023.05.002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the rural Punjab region in Pakistan, some women who experience pregnancy loss are believed to suffer from <em>athra</em>, which is considered a major cause of childlessness. Women with <em>athra</em> can have several miscarriages, and they are prone to stillbirth and neonatal death. This study presents results from ethnographic fieldwork in a rural, religiously diverse Christian–Muslim community in Punjab, Pakistan. The data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with community members and women who had experienced <em>athra</em>. This study explores the perception of <em>athra</em> in this community, as well as the impact of a diagnosis of <em>athra</em> on the women affected. This study follows the model developed by Link and Phelan (2001) to explore the process through which <em>athra</em> is stigmatised. According to Link and Phelan (2001), stigma occurs when labelling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination occur within an unequal power situation.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":45675,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Social Science","volume":"51 3","pages":"Pages 198-207"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0000,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Asian Journal of Social Science","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568484923000321","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"AREA STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In the rural Punjab region in Pakistan, some women who experience pregnancy loss are believed to suffer from athra, which is considered a major cause of childlessness. Women with athra can have several miscarriages, and they are prone to stillbirth and neonatal death. This study presents results from ethnographic fieldwork in a rural, religiously diverse Christian–Muslim community in Punjab, Pakistan. The data were collected through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with community members and women who had experienced athra. This study explores the perception of athra in this community, as well as the impact of a diagnosis of athra on the women affected. This study follows the model developed by Link and Phelan (2001) to explore the process through which athra is stigmatised. According to Link and Phelan (2001), stigma occurs when labelling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination occur within an unequal power situation.
期刊介绍：
The Asian Journal of Social Science is a principal outlet for scholarly articles on Asian societies published by the Department of Sociology, National University of Singapore. AJSS provides a unique forum for theoretical debates and empirical analyses that move away from narrow disciplinary focus. It is committed to comparative research and articles that speak to cases beyond the traditional concerns of area and single-country studies. AJSS strongly encourages transdisciplinary analysis of contemporary and historical social change in Asia by offering a meeting space for international scholars across the social sciences, including anthropology, cultural studies, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology. AJSS also welcomes humanities-oriented articles that speak to pertinent social issues. AJSS publishes internationally peer-reviewed research articles, special thematic issues and shorter symposiums. AJSS also publishes book reviews and review essays, research notes on Asian societies, and short essays of special interest to students of the region.
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
