Tainted Milk: Breastmilk, Feminisms, and the Politics of Environmental Degradation

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State University of New York Press, Feb 1, 2012 - Social Science - 224 pages
Tainted Milk provides an in-depth analysis of the debate about infant nourishment issues, with a particular focus on environmentally contaminated breastmilk. Maia Boswell-Penc asks why feminists and environmentalists have, for the most part, remained relatively quiet about the fact that environmental toxins have been appearing in breastmilk. She argues that feminists avoid the topic because of their fear of focusing on biological mothering and essentialist thinking, while environmentalists are reluctant to be perceived as fearmongers advocating formula use and contributing to public hysteria. Boswell-Penc also points to the continuing racism, classism, ageism, and corporatization that leaves the less privileged among us more vulnerable.
 

Contents

INTRODUCTION
1
HISTORICAL VIGNETTES
17
THE GROWING AWARENESS OF ENVIRONMENTALLYCONTAMINATED BREASTMILK IN THE CONTEXT OFMUCHNEEDED BREASTF...
61
THE CURIOUS OMISSIONS OF BREASTFEEDING AND BREASTMILK CONTAMINATIONAS SIGNIFICANT FEMINIST ISSUES
99
4 POLLUTING THE WATERSOF THE MOST VULNERABLEENVIRONMENTAL RACISM ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICEAND BREASTMILK ...
137
A NEED FOR MORE ATTENTIONAND MORE CAREFUL ATTENTIONTO BREASTMILK TOXICITY
167
NOTES
177
APPENDIX A
185
APPENDIX B
187
REFERENCES
189
INDEX
209
E
210
J
211
R
212
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About the author (2012)

Maia Boswell-Penc is Assistant Professor of Women's Studies at the University at Albany, State University of New York.

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