Sacred Joy at Birth

Sacred Joy at Birth A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Study Susan A. Crowther A thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 2014 Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences Auckland University of Technology New Zealand Primary Supervisor: Professor Liz Smythe Second Supervisor: Dr Deb Spence 1 Table of contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Attestation of authorship ................................................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................. 6 Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 1 Introduction A departure ............................................................................................ 9 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Choosing a path of meaning ...................................................................................................... 10 Methods ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Importance of pre-understandings ........................................................................................ 16 Justification and purpose of study.......................................................................................... 20 Organisation and structure of the thesis ............................................................................. 25 Chapter 2 Methodology – philosophical underpinnings .................................................... 28 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 28 Nascent phenomenologist ......................................................................................................... 28 Tradition ........................................................................................................................................... 29 Phenomenology ............................................................................................................................. 30 Being-in-the-world ....................................................................................................................... 33 Dasein and mortals....................................................................................................................... 33 Attunement ..................................................................................................................................... 35 Gestures, hints and traces .......................................................................................................... 40 The structure of care ................................................................................................................... 41 How we come to understanding ............................................................................................. 41 Truth as un-concealment ........................................................................................................... 47 Heidegger as unique philosopher and controversial political agent ........................ 48 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 50 Chapter 3 History and Culture of Human Birth ..................................................................... 52 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 52 Pre-New Zealand colonisation ................................................................................................. 56 Immigration and colonisation .................................................................................................. 61 Technology era............................................................................................................................... 65 Feminism and birth ...................................................................................................................... 75 Contemporary New Zealand birth .......................................................................................... 78 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................... 81 How do we attune? ....................................................................................................................... 82 Chapter 4 Literature review .......................................................................................................... 83 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 83 Glimpses from the literature .................................................................................................... 87 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 104 Chapter 5 Methodology to Methods ........................................................................................ 105 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 105 Declaring pre-understandings .............................................................................................. 106 Ethics .............................................................................................................................................. 109 Recruiting participants ............................................................................................................ 111 Sample size and the hermeneutic project ........................................................................ 112 Introducing the participants .................................................................................................. 113 Others at interviews ................................................................................................................. 114 Unpicking a ‘messy’ method .................................................................................................. 116 Hermeneutic move .................................................................................................................... 121 Play of light and shadow ......................................................................................................... 125 Trustworthiness and rigour .................................................................................................. 125 Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 128 Introduction to the Poiesis Chapters ...................................................................................... 129 Chapter 6 Poiesis One: Making Joy Visible............................................................................ 130 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 130 Safeguarding/sheltering at birth ......................................................................................... 131 Protecting “something” at birth ........................................................................................... 133 An essential attunement at birth ......................................................................................... 138 Suddenness of joy’s arrival .................................................................................................... 140 Meeting the baby awakens joy .............................................................................................. 143 Childbirth technology and joy ............................................................................................... 144 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 152 Chapter 7 Poiesis Two: Joy as embodied and spatial ....................................................... 155 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 155 Embodied joy ............................................................................................................................... 155 Joy is an embodied experience at birth ............................................................................. 162 Spatial joy ...................................................................................................................................... 163 Fluidity of attunement at birth ............................................................................................. 172 Re-calling the moment re-opens the space ...................................................................... 173

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