The Postpartum Tradition of <i>Sawa Mahina</i> in Rural Punjab, Pakistan
The Punjabi postpartum tradition is called sawa mahina (‘five weeks’). This study investigates infant health care belief practices in rural Punjab and looks at the social significance of infant care beliefs practiced during sawa mahina. During six months of fieldwork, using participant observation a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Sciendo
2017-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jef.ee/index.php/journal/article/view/254 |
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| author | Azher Hameed Qamar |
| author_facet | Azher Hameed Qamar |
| author_sort | Azher Hameed Qamar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Punjabi postpartum tradition is called sawa mahina (‘five weeks’). This study investigates infant health care belief practices in rural Punjab and looks at the social significance of infant care beliefs practiced during sawa mahina. During six months of fieldwork, using participant observation and unstructured interviews as primary research methods, the study explored the prevalent postpartum tradition from a childcare perspective. A Punjabi child holds a social value regarding familial, religious, and emotional values. The five-week traditional postpartum period provides an insight into mother–child attachment, related child care belief practices, and the social construction of infancy. A child’s agency is recognised in the embodied mother–child relationship, and a child is seen in a sympathetic connection with the mother. Establishing an early foundation of ascribed identities is another important part of postpartum belief practices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2be031a4eedb49d2a93369c936c60427 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1736-6518 2228-0987 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2017-06-01 |
| publisher | Sciendo |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics |
| spelling | doaj-art-2be031a4eedb49d2a93369c936c604272025-02-02T18:36:54ZengSciendoJournal of Ethnology and Folkloristics1736-65182228-09872017-06-0111112715010.1515/jef-2017-0008160The Postpartum Tradition of <i>Sawa Mahina</i> in Rural Punjab, PakistanAzher Hameed Qamar0Norwegian University of Science & TechnologyThe Punjabi postpartum tradition is called sawa mahina (‘five weeks’). This study investigates infant health care belief practices in rural Punjab and looks at the social significance of infant care beliefs practiced during sawa mahina. During six months of fieldwork, using participant observation and unstructured interviews as primary research methods, the study explored the prevalent postpartum tradition from a childcare perspective. A Punjabi child holds a social value regarding familial, religious, and emotional values. The five-week traditional postpartum period provides an insight into mother–child attachment, related child care belief practices, and the social construction of infancy. A child’s agency is recognised in the embodied mother–child relationship, and a child is seen in a sympathetic connection with the mother. Establishing an early foundation of ascribed identities is another important part of postpartum belief practices.https://www.jef.ee/index.php/journal/article/view/254postpartum traditionsocial construction of infancysawa mahinainfant care belief practicesmother–child sympathetic connection |
| spellingShingle | Azher Hameed Qamar The Postpartum Tradition of <i>Sawa Mahina</i> in Rural Punjab, Pakistan Journal of Ethnology and Folkloristics postpartum tradition social construction of infancy sawa mahina infant care belief practices mother–child sympathetic connection |
| title | The Postpartum Tradition of <i>Sawa Mahina</i> in Rural Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_full | The Postpartum Tradition of <i>Sawa Mahina</i> in Rural Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_fullStr | The Postpartum Tradition of <i>Sawa Mahina</i> in Rural Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Postpartum Tradition of <i>Sawa Mahina</i> in Rural Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_short | The Postpartum Tradition of <i>Sawa Mahina</i> in Rural Punjab, Pakistan |
| title_sort | postpartum tradition of i sawa mahina i in rural punjab pakistan |
| topic | postpartum tradition social construction of infancy sawa mahina infant care belief practices mother–child sympathetic connection |
| url | https://www.jef.ee/index.php/journal/article/view/254 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT azherhameedqamar thepostpartumtraditionofisawamahinaiinruralpunjabpakistan AT azherhameedqamar postpartumtraditionofisawamahinaiinruralpunjabpakistan |