An Ecology of High-Altitude Infancy A Biocultural Perspective [Hardcover]

This book examines the low birth weight and infant mortality in high-altitude Indian region Ladakh.This book considers how the unique mountain ecology and socio-cultural patterns of the Himalayan region of Ladakh contribute to a peculiar pattern of infant mortality. Highlighting the roles of ecology, culture, history, and political economy, it stresses the burdens of women's work in this region as crucial to birth outcome. This book is unique in that it is an example of a new genre of anthropological work called Ethnographic Human Biology, which makes use of the methods of human biology but strongly emphasizes the ethnographic context that gives human biological measures their meaning.This book considers how the unique mountain ecology and socio-cultural patterns of the Himalayan region of Ladakh contribute to a peculiar pattern of infant mortality. Highlighting the roles of ecology, culture, history, and political economy, it stresses the burdens of women's work in this region as crucial to birth outcome. This book is unique in that it is an example of a new genre of anthropological work called Ethnographic Human Biology, which makes use of the methods of human biology but strongly emphasizes the ethnographic context that gives human biological measures their meaning.Highlighting the roles of ecology, culture, history, and political economy, this book considers how the unique mountain ecology and socio-cultural patterns of the Himalayan region of Ladakh contribute to a peculiar pattern of infant mortality. It stresses the burdens of women's work in this region as crucial to birth outcome. An example of a new genre of anthropological work called ethnographic human biology, this study utilizes the methodology of human biology but strongly emphasizes the ethnographic context that provides meaning for human biological measures.1. Introduction; 2. Challenges of high altitude living; 3. Contextualizing reproductive health research in Ladakh; 4. Big mountains, slC\