Papers by Jónína Einarsdóttir
The Politics of Life Itself: Biomedicine, Power, and Subjectivity in the Twenty-First Century
Análise Social, 2010
... The Politics of Life Itself Biomedicine, Power, and Subjectivity in the Twenty-First Century ... more ... The Politics of Life Itself Biomedicine, Power, and Subjectivity in the Twenty-First Century Nikolas Rose Thls On© PRINCETON UNIVERSITY ... and exper-tise, a highly cathected field for knowledge, an expanding territory for bioeconomic exploitation, an organizing principle of ...
Infant Mortality in a Global Context
Tired of weeping" : child death and mourning among Papel mothers in Guinea-Bissau
The study examines the assumption that mothers in poverty stricken areas with high rates of ferti... more The study examines the assumption that mothers in poverty stricken areas with high rates of fertility and child mortality will, as a survival strategy, neglect their children, sometimes with a fatal outcome and then fail to mourn their death. The thesis is based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in 1993-98 among the Papel people in Guinea-Bissau, West-Africa. Participant observation, interviewing and surveys were the main methods used. The study emphasises the agency and voices of individual Papel mothers, and their varied ...
Partnership and post-war Guinea-Bissau
African Journal of International Affairs, 2007
Tired of Weeping: Mother Love, Child Death, and Poverty in Guinea-Bissau
University of Wisconsin Press eBooks, 2004
In this comprehensive and provocative study of maternal reactions to child death in Guinea-Bissau... more In this comprehensive and provocative study of maternal reactions to child death in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, anthropologist Jónína Einarsdóttir challenges the assumption that mothers in high-poverty societies will neglect their children and fail to mourn their deaths as a survival strategy. Based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted from 1993 to 1998 among the matrilineal Papel, who reside in the Biombo region, this work includes theoretical discussion of reproductive practices, conceptions of children, childcare customs, ...
Development Policy Review, Apr 5, 2016
We explore the applied ethics of development aid and humanitarian assistance, and juxtapose these... more We explore the applied ethics of development aid and humanitarian assistance, and juxtapose these with claimed objectives and factors that influence the choice of recipients. Despite some diversity among donors, ethical considerations appear not to be a prominent factor for allocation of aid. Although recipients' need is not entirely ignored, donors' self-interest and herd behaviour, and recipients' merits and voting in the United Nations, play crucial roles in allocation decisions. Likely to be shunned are complex emergencies and fragile states, the overlapping settings for action of development and humanitarian aid. Donors should take to heart and put into practice that allocation of aid is an ethical endeavour that should rest on proper needs assessment, established objectives and adopted agreements.
Hardworking, Adaptive, and Friendly: The Marketing of Volunteers in Iceland
Volunteering, at times combined with tourism, has expanded globally. In this chapter, we explore ... more Volunteering, at times combined with tourism, has expanded globally. In this chapter, we explore the marketing of volunteers in Iceland with a focus on the requirements concerning the performance of tasks, skills, personality, and the attractions offered by the hosts. All the online advertisements that appeared on two volunteer recruitment websites ‘Workaway’ and ‘HelpX’ on 27 February 2017 and 27 February 2018 seeking volunteers were analysed. We show that the hosts, who straightforwardly formulate their demands and attractions, prefer the volunteers to be flexible, hardworking, well-mannered, and friendly. The volunteers are expected to perform diverse tasks, mostly unskilled but also to enjoy nature, animals, and family life while learning the ‘Icelandic way’ through work. They are not seen as altruistic individuals but rather as voluntourists.
T-Shirt Travels: Cast-Offs for Africa
Visual Anthropology Review, Apr 1, 2005
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Death Studies, Nov 27, 2020
Scheper-Hughes divides mothers onto "better off" visa -vis "poor" mothers stuck in "old" reproduc... more Scheper-Hughes divides mothers onto "better off" visa -vis "poor" mothers stuck in "old" reproductive strategy with high fertility. Cultural construction of mother love allows the latter group to neglect their "worst bets" to death without grief. Based on the bio-evolutionary theory, Hrdy hints that "modern" Western mothers, guided by ethical behavior, care for unviable infants while mothers in "non-Western societies" might dispose them of due to innate responses. This article warns against such binary division of mothers. Ethnographic research indicates that notions of replaceable infants, fatalism, appreciation of infant vitality, and lifesaving names are examples of human responses to adverse circumstances.
Emotional Experts
Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Mar 1, 2009
In this article, I examine how parents of infants with birth weight of 1,000 grams or less in Ice... more In this article, I examine how parents of infants with birth weight of 1,000 grams or less in Iceland relate to the questions whether and when treatment for a preterm infant may be withdrawn, and who should make such a decision. Almost all the parents agreed there are categories of infants who should be allowed to die and parents should have a say in such a decision. Inability to take part in human communication was most commonly mentioned as a valid criterion for withdrawal of treatment. There was more disagreement about parents' right to unilaterally demand withdrawal. Ethical dilemmas and their resolutions are embedded in social context where images of suffering and disability and establishment of medical facts are central. Parents claimed their right to participate in treatment decisions as emotional experts; the child was theirs and they had to live with the outcome. Their hope in cure was based on faith in medical science and high confidence in the staff of the NICU. Parents also stressed the infant's will to live and referred to alternative knowledge, for instance, derived from “evidence based” spiritism or an interpretation of a dream.
9th European Association of Social Anthropologists EASA Biennial Conference, University of Bristol, 18-21 September
Parents' first encounter with their preemie : distance or devotion
Guinea-Bissau
Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets, Sep 30, 2013
Development studies research, Oct 18, 2018
There is increased emphasis on donor engagement in the world's poorest and most fragile states, b... more There is increased emphasis on donor engagement in the world's poorest and most fragile states, but aid modalities tend to differ depending on the recipient countries' governance. In fragile states, donors often bypass governments and collaborate with non-state development actors (NGOs) to prevent aid capture, improve effective delivery and increase effectiveness. Based on ethnographic fieldwork over 20 months in 2009-2012, the aim of this paper is to explore the role of NGOs in community-based primary healthcare vis-à-vis the Ministry of Health in Guinea-Bissau. Revitalization of Guinea-Bissau's formerly extensive community healthcare services was initiated in 2010. The Ministry of Health, in charge of its implementation, emphasized ownership, harmonization and alignment that created tension with NGOs. However, as a result of a military coup in 2012, donors bypassed the Ministry and gave NGOs a central role. Through the voices of stakeholders, this paper outlines donors' dilemmas in a situation of state fragility. They found NGO-ization reasonable to protect funds and secure implementation while some worried that it might counteract alignment, harmonization, ownership and sustainability. The paper argues that aid to the health sector in fragile states needs to be long-term and predictable.
Happiness in the neonatal intensive care unit: Merits of ethnographic fieldwork
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 2012
Nordicum-Mediterraneum, 2016
Anthropology In Action, 2008
BRILL eBooks, Oct 27, 2017
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Papers by Jónína Einarsdóttir