Contested Bodies: Pregnancy, Childrearing, and Slavery in Jamaica

327 Pages·2017·3.447 MB·English

by  Sasha Turner

Contested Bodies
EARLYAMERICANSTUDIES
Serieseditors
DanielK.Richter,KathleenM.Brown,MaxCavitch,andDavidWaldstreicher
Exploringneglectedaspectsofourcolonial,revolutionary,andearlynational
historyandculture,EarlyAmericanStudiesreinterpretsfamiliarthemesand
eventsinfreshways.Interdisciplinaryincharacter,andwithaspecialemphasis
ontheperiodfromabout1600to1850,theseriesispublishedinpartnershipwith
theMcNeilCenterforEarlyAmericanStudies.
Acompletelistofbooksintheseriesisavailablefromthepublisher.
Contested Bodies
Pregnancy, Childrearing, and Slavery in Jamaica
Sasha Turner
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PRESS
PHILADELPHIA
Copyright(cid:2)2017UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress
Allrightsreserved.Exceptforbriefquotationsusedforpurposesofrevieworscholarly
citation,noneofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformbyanymeanswithout
writtenpermissionfromthepublisher.
Publishedby
UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress
Philadelphia,Pennsylvania19104-4112
www.upenn.edu/pennpress
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
onacid-freepaper
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Turner,Sasha,author.
Title:Contestedbodies:pregnancy,childrearing,andslaveryinJamaica/SashaTurner.
Othertitles:EarlyAmericanstudies.
Description:1stedition.(cid:2)Philadelphia:UniversityofPennsylvaniaPress,[2017](cid:2)Series:
EarlyAmericanstudies(cid:2)Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2016049308(cid:2)ISBN978–0-8122–4918–7(hardcover:alk.paper)
Subjects:LCSH:Slavery—Jamaica—Socialconditions—18thcentury.(cid:2)Slavery—
Jamaica—Socialconditions—19thcentury.(cid:2)Pregnancy—Jamaica—History—18th
century.(cid:2)Pregnancy—Jamaica—History—19thcentury.(cid:2)Motherhood—Jamaica—
History—18thcentury.(cid:2)Motherhood—Jamaica—History—19thcentury.(cid:2)Child
slaves—Jamaica—Socialconditions—18thcentury.(cid:2)Childslaves—Jamaica—Social
conditions—19thcentury.(cid:2)Antislaverymovements—Jamaica—History—18thcentury.(cid:2)
Antislaverymovements—Jamaica—History—19thcentury.
Classification:LCCHT1096.T8752017(cid:2)DDC306.3/6209729209033—dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2016049308
Formygrandmother,Mercella,andtothememoryofmygrandfather,Lloyd
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C o n t e n t s
Introduction.TransformingBodies 1
Chapter1.ConceivingMoralandIndustriousSubjects:
Women,Children,andAbolition 18
Chapter2.“TheBestOnesWhoAreFittoBreed”:
TheQuestforBiologicalReproduction 44
Chapter3.WhenWorkersBecomeMothers,WhoWorks?
Motherhood,Labor,andPunishment 68
Chapter4.“BuckraDoctorNoDoYouNoGood”:
StrugglesoverMaternalHealthCare 112
Chapter5.“DeadBeforetheNinthDay”:
StrugglesoverNeonatalCare 151
Chapter6.MothersKnowBest?
MaternalAuthorityandChildren’sSurvival 182
Chapter7.RaisingHardworkingAdults:
Labor,Punishment,andSlaveChildhood 211
Conclusion.TransformingSlavery 249
Notes 257
viii Contents
Sources 299
Index 307
Acknowledgments 313
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