Abstract
In Reproduction on the Reservation, Brianna Theobald explores the impact of reproductive policies implemented throughout the 20th century on Indigenous people living both on and off reservations in the United States. Theobald describes broader national trends related to reproduction, including those impacting all women more generally as well as those that specifically have targeted Indigenous women. She contextualizes these national trends through analyzing the experiences of women on the Crow Reservation in Montana. Theobald investigates and discusses how Indigenous women have had their reproductive autonomy undermined through policies that both “control and neglect” women’s reproductive and sexual health. Central to the book is Theobald’s argument that even settler colonial politics and policies that do not appear on their face to be about reproduction are in fact reproductive politics.
Theobald describes the impact of colonial and reproductive policies chronologically throughout the 20th century. She begins with the medicalization of childbirth and policies which were marketed as efforts to reduce mother and infant mortality and ends with the activism of women in WARN (Women of All Red Nations) and other Indigenous leaders. This activism focused on sterilization and other reproductive abuses, as well as expanding the reproductive options for Indigenous women. The utilization of midwives and the presence of female friends and family members at birth is another important theme throughout this book. Theobald provides examples of how midwives have both formally and informally been used by Indigenous women throughout the Crow Nation’s history.
Focusing on the specific experiences of women on the Crow Reservation in Montana exposes readers to a more nuanced understanding than they have had previously of the impact of these reproductive policies, particularly those that had unintended or even contradictory consequences. Focusing on these individual women’s experiences also enables Theobald to disrupt narratives that try to neatly categorize women’s birth experiences as either “traditional” or “modern.” In addition, the author thereby facilitates a deeper exploration of women’s agency and resilience in the face of these policies.
Theobald effectively demonstrates how even policies that were meant to be implemented uniformly throughout the country were often impacted by the influence of local health officials and tribal leaders, economic and social resources within the community, and the beliefs and desires of individual women and their families. Theobald also describes the forms of “medical pluralism” utilized by many women who viewed components of Western medicine as compatible with healing practices used by the Crow.
Though Theobald provides extremely useful and detailed notes for her sources at the end of the book, a brief chapter or overview of her methodology within the text of the book itself would better help orient readers to her research process. This chapter may not be relevant to all readers but would provide needed insight into Theobald’s methodology, an especially important issue considering the long history of researcher exploitation of Indigenous people. Similarly, Theobald fails to situate her own intersectional positionality as it relates to the population she is researching. More discussion of how Theobald ended up focusing on the Crow Reservation in Montana would also be of interest to the reader, as this is only briefly mentioned.
Reproduction on the Reservation is an important addition to the growing body of literature that explores reproductive justice issues among Indigenous people. Its opening and closing chapters, in particular, would serve as accessible introductory material for social work, public health, sociology, or medical students to aid them in better grasping the complexities of reproductive practices on and off Indian reservations during the past century. Though primarily focused on the United States, the lessons Theobald draws are also applicable to reproductive policy trends occurring globally and would be relevant for any scholar interested in reproductive policies, reproductive justice, and Indigenous peoples. This book is suited for both experienced scholars in these areas and members of the reading public who desire a greater comprehension of the reproductive experiences of Indigenous women in the United States during the 20th century.
