Intimate Knowledge

As a study on health, this book concentrates upon the intimacies of women's bodies whilst simultaneously exploring how experiences of health and illness are shaped by the wider context of the developing Thai state. The work addresses the broad forces impacting women's health, discussing gender relations in Thai society, migration and work, and the effects of poverty and uneven development. This book also makes accessible some of the more complex theoretical issues using ethnographic detail to discuss approaches to the body and embodiment, agency and resistance, the effects of development and modernity. It illustrates the tensions between what is seen as "traditional" and "modern" knowledge and practices, and the ways in which these are understood to align poverty and underdevelopment with ethnic and cultural difference. All of these issues are illustrated through chapters covering a wide range of women's health experiences: gynaecological problems; STDs and HIV; family planning and maternity; and the controversy of abortion within a Buddhist nation. Women's voices feature throughout the book, telling of the intimacies of their lives and bringing to life the ramifications of broader social forces and policies in Thai society.