Push: Pushing Anthropological Inquiry through Pregnancy, Birth, and Motherhood in Kalaallit Nunaat
Name of applicant
Mette Mørup Schlütter
Title
Postdoctoral Fellow
Institution
University of Tromsø - The Arctic University of Norway
Amount
DKK 1,317,275
Year
2024
Type of grant
Internationalisation Fellowships
What?
This project investigates pregnancy, birth, and motherhood in Kalaallit Nunaat through a theoretical lens that integrates singularity of experience, local conditions, and Indigenous knowledge systems. By employing Inuit concepts that prioritize uncertainty, the project aims to understand the complexities of this transformative life phase while challenging conventional anthropological paradigms.
Why?
Understanding experiences of pregnancy, birth, and motherhood is important for improving the care and well-being of Kalaallit women, their families, and communities. Exploring these experiences through methodological and theoretical approaches rooted in Inuit concepts is crucial for enriching our understanding, decolonizing science, and fostering equitable research practices.
How?
I will conduct long-term ethnographic fieldwork in Uummannaq and Ilulissat, using Inuit concepts related to silence and ambiguity as important communicative acts to methodologically explore maternal experiences. Collaboration with interlocutors will foster methodological and dissemination strategies that explore the singularity of experience and open-ended engagement with research findings.