95 research outputs found
Breast and the rest
No full textDr Dawn Leeming has a wide range of research interests in the areas of health and well-being. In particular her research has focussed on women’s experiences of breastfeeding and the social construction of these. Here she comments on why we need to be cautious about the recent study which suggests being breastfed longer may lead to higher IQ scores and enhanced income in adulthood
Managing shame: An interpersonal perspective
No full textExperiences of shame are often difficult to manage, not least because of their interpersonal implications. However, limited research attention has been paid to the management and repair of shame, and in particular to the role that social factors may play in this. We aimed to explore these issues by obtaining 50 written first-person accounts of experiences of managing difficult episodes of shame from a cross section of students and employees at a British university. These participant-generated narrative accounts were supplemented by written answers to open-ended questions. Via a contextual constructionist thematic analysis, three overarching themes were identified: The centrality of others’ evaluations of the self; Repositioning the self vis-à-vis others, and Being disabled by shame. Discussion focuses on the first two of these themes which together suggest that because the participants saw their shame as produced in interaction with others, effective management and repair of shame depended not just on a changed view of the self but on a repositioning of the self in relation to others. This analysis therefore suggests that repair of shame may often need to be mutually negotiated and as such provides support for theoretical approaches to shame which emphasize the centrality of others’ actual or perceived judgements of the self
Me and My House: James Baldwin, Prophet of Freedom
No full textIn this public lecture, David Leeming, a scholar of comparative literature and author of James Baldwin: A Biography, utilizes his experiences as a biographer and personal friend of James Baldwin to address the question, Who was, and who is, James Baldwin
Making use of expertise: A qualitative analysis of the experience of breastfeeding support for first time mothers
No full textThere is now a body of research evaluating breastfeeding interventions and exploring mothers’ and health professionals’ views on effective and ineffective breastfeeding support. However, this literature leaves relatively unexplored a number of questions about how breastfeeding women experience and make sense of their relationships with those trained to provide breastfeeding support. The present study collected qualitative data from 22 breastfeeding first-time mothers in the UK on their experiences of, and orientation towards, relationships with maternity care professionals and other breastfeeding advisors. The data were obtained from interviews and audio-diaries at two time points during the first five weeks post-partum. We discuss a key theme within the data of ‘Making use of expertise’ and three subthemes which capture the way in which the women’s orientation towards those assumed to have breastfeeding expertise varied according to whether the women (i) adopted a position of consulting experts versus one of deferring to feeding authorities (ii) experienced difficulty interpreting their own and their baby’s bodies and (iii) experienced the expertise of health workers as empowering or disempowering. Although sometimes mothers felt empowered by aligning themselves with the scientific approach and ‘normalising gaze’ of healthcare professionals, at other times this gaze could be experienced as objectifying and diminishing. The merits and limitations of a person-centred approach to breastfeeding support are discussed in relation to using breastfeeding expertise in an empowering rather than disempowering way
Managing the dynamics of shame in breastfeeding support
No full textBreastfeeding promotion has long grappled with the issue of maternal guilt. However, recently attention has turned instead to shame, as a related but more problematic emotional response. Although women may talk about feeling shamed for breastfeeding in front of others, some also talk about shame-related feelings as a consequence of not breastfeeding or struggling to establish breastfeeding. Research suggests that cultural representations of breastfeeding can be taken up as if they imply that the ‘good mother’ not only breastfeeds but also has a maternal body which sustains her child with ease. Therefore, where breastfeeding difficulties are experienced, these can be taken by women to signify inadequacy or failure as a mother and woman, particularly if there is a sense of exposure before expert surveillance.
The purpose of this presentation is to explore the usefulness of interpersonal theories of shame, shame avoidance and shame management for understanding relationships between women who struggle to establish breastfeeding and those who support them. Drawing on Gilbert’s (2003) and Scheff’s (1995) approaches to shame, which emphasise the sense of a devalued position in relation to others, I consider how shame and shame avoidance might sometimes shape the dynamics of relationships between breastfeeding women and healthcare providers in ways that are counterproductive for both breastfeeding and the wellbeing of breastfeeding women. However, I also explore what the emerging literature on shame management and resilience (e.g. Brown, 2006; Leeming & Boyle, 2013; van Vliet, 2008) might have to offer with regard to countering shame when supporting breastfeeding mothers by promoting meaningful connection, validation of women and contextualisation of breastfeeding difficulties
Accounting for psychological problems: How user-friendly is formulation?
No full textFormulation, with its use of psychosocial explanations for psychological problems, has the potential to normalise and destigmatise clients’ difficulties. However, we present findings from a recent study which suggest that for mental health service users, using psychosocial explanations is not a straightforward process
Aztec antichrist: performing the apocalypse in early colonial Mexico
No full textIncludes bibliographical references and index.In Aztec Antichrist, Ben Leeming presents a transcription, translation, and study of two Nahuatl Antichrist plays that are likely the earliest surviving presentations of the Antichrist legend in the Americas, and possibly the earliest surviving play scripts in the whole of the New World in any language.--Provided by publisher
Reseña de: Ben Leeming. 2022. Aztec Antichrist. Performing the Apocalypse in Early Colonial Mexico. Louisville: University Press of Colorado. xxxi + 281 pp.
No full textThis review analyzes Ben Leeming’s Aztec Antichrist, which focuses on two 16th-century religious plays in Nahuatl composed by Fabián de Aquino. Through philological, historical, and theatrical analysis of these neixcuitilli, Leeming argues that the character of the Antichrist—portrayed by a Christianized Indigenous author—represents a veiled critique of colonial evangelization and an attempt to reassert Indigenous authority amid cultural upheaval. The book stands out for its integration of Nahua tradition and Franciscan eschatology, as well as its emphasis on performative writing infused with improvisation and symbolism. It is an innovative study that foregrounds Indigenous agency in the shaping of Christian discourseEsta reseña examina el libro Aztec Antichrist de Ben Leeming, centrado en dos autos religiosos en náhuatl compuestos por Fabián de Aquino en el siglo XVI. A través del análisis filológico, histórico y teatral de estos neixcuitilli, Leeming propone que el personaje del Anticristo, interpretado por un autor indígena cristianizado, representa una crítica velada a la evangelización colonial y un intento de rearticular el poder indígena en un contexto de crisis. La obra destaca por incorporar elementos de la tradición nahua y la escatología franciscana, así como por presentar una escritura performativa cargada de improvisación y simbolismo. Se trata de un estudio innovador que revela la agencia indígena en la producción de conocimiento cristianoUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Instituto de Investigaciones Histórica
Reconstructing ‘the Alcoholic’: Recovering from Alcohol Addiction and the Stigma this Entails
No full textPublic perception of alcohol addiction is frequently negative, whilst an important part of recovery is the construction of a positive sense of self. In order to explore how this might be achieved, we investigated how those who self-identify as in recovery from alcohol problems view themselves and their difficulties with alcohol and how they make sense of others’ responses to their addiction. Semi-structured interviews with six individuals who had been in recovery between 5 and 35 years and in contact with Alcoholics Anonymous were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The participants were acutely aware of stigmatising images of ‘alcoholics’ and described having struggled with a considerable dilemma in accepting this identity themselves. However, to some extent they were able to resist stigma by conceiving of an ‘aware alcoholic self’ which was divorced from their previously unaware self and formed the basis for a new more knowing and valued identity
Evaluating the audio-diary method in qualitative research
No full textPurpose
Audio-diary methods are under-utilised in contemporary qualitative research. In this paper we discuss participants and researchers’ experiences of using audio-diaries alongside semi-structured interviews to explore breastfeeding experiences in a short-term longitudinal study with 22 first-time mothers.
Design/methodology/approach
We provide a qualitative content analysis of the participants’ feedback about their experiences of the audio-diary method and supplement this with the perspectives of the research team based on fieldwork notes, memos and team discussions. We pay particular attention to the ways in which the data attained from diaries compared with those from the interviews.
Findings
The diaries produced were heterogeneous in terms of data length and quality. Participants’ experiences with the method were varied. Some found the process therapeutic and useful for reflecting upon the development of breastfeeding skills whilst negative aspects related to lack of mobility, self-consciousness and concerns about confidentiality. Researchers were positive about the audio-diary method but raised certain ethical, epistemological and methodological concerns. These include debates around the use of prompts, appropriate support for participants and the potential of the method to influence the behaviour under scrutiny. Interview and diary accounts contrasted and complemented in ways which typically enriched data analysis.
Practical implications
The authors conclude that audio-diaries are a flexible and useful tool for qualitative research especially within critical realist and phenomenological paradigms
Originality/value
This appears to be the first paper to evaluate both participants and researchers’ experiences of using audio-diaries in a detailed and systematic fashio
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