Doula Care as Justice Technology

Since the early 1970s, alternative birth advocates have tended to oppose themselves to mainstream obstetrics in terms of technology: in the influential formulation of anthropologist Robbie Davis-Floyd, the standard hospital model is “high tech/low touch,” while alternative birth is “low tech/high touch.” The emergence of the doula, a birth assistant who typically offers labor positioning, massage, and emotional support, has recently garnered attention for reducing rates of cesearean ...