Amy Wu L&S Sciences
Bay Area Midwifery Models of Care as Complex Sociotechnical Systems
This research project examines the rich history and future of midwives of color in the Bay Area through the novel implementation of Science, Technology and Society (STS) frameworks. By defining the midwifery model of care conceived by Bay Area midwives of color as a complex sociotechnical system, the process by which midwives of color have created their models of care can be explored at the intersection of the nation’s capitalistic healthcare system, historic attempts to destroy the knowledge produced by grand midwives in the antebellum period and broader African diaspora, California’s legal history, and the Bay Area’s geographical and political history of social justice activism. This research will implement a holistic STS and social justice approach that recognizes the unequal treatment and distribution of resources of Black midwives and their strength as owners of solutions through the construction of oral histories and archival work. By recognizing the importance of midwives in modern medical systems, this research is a continuation of an ongoing project in the Center for Reproductive Rights and Justice (CRRJ).