Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
Center for Contemporary South Asia

Josephine Devanbu

Summer Fellow 2014
Project Title: Emerging Personhood: Identity and Demography in a Rural Antenatal Clinic

Josephine Devanbu's project used pregnancy as a case study of the evolving dynamics of knowledge and authority in the Indian health system. She focused on how expectant mothers and their families navigate between traditional wisdom and modern biomedical protocols as they strive to safely usher in the next generation. In addition, the project aimed to develop a method of qualitative research that combines verbal interviews with on-site portrait painting as a way of broadening the scope of the study and honoring subject’s individuality.