Bringing Home an Ancestor

For her finale for the course D255: Environmental Humanities and Global Health, taught by Prof. Kimberly Theidon and PhD candidate Dipali Anumol, Aubrey Hartnett (MALD ’23) reflects on themes of childbirth, parenthood, and care in “Bringing Home an Ancestor”.

Please read Aubrey’s introduction and click the link below to download her finale!

As I reflected on the semester and my own childbirth and post-partum experiences, I wanted to explore inter-generational care in the context of preparing for childbirth and welcoming a new life. What became clear in this goal of cultivating community with past and future generations was the urgency of universal trauma-informed care, and encouragement of care providers, expectant parents and the larger supportive villages to re-frame expectations and what care looks like. My finale is designed as a more inclusive and grounding resource, recognizing the intense experiences surrounding childbirth, even in the best of circumstances, as crucial moments in families’ and communities’ histories.

Aubrey Hartnett