22: Food Taboos and Pregnancy Loss within the Indian Diaspora with Anu Lotay

Pregnancy is a fascinating time for many reasons, but key among them is the intensity of food taboos and perspectives on what is or isn't good for neonatal health. My guest this week, Anu Lotay, is an anthropology PhD candidate at the University of Victoria and research director at VPIRG. She explores the unique and challenging field of pregnancy loss for women and their families in the Indian diaspora. She seeks to understand the roles of cultural, transnational family networks, gender differences, and experiences with Canadian healthcare systems to manage infant loss. In this episode, we explore how the role of food taboos and beliefs impact pregnancy within Indo-Canadian women, and how pregnancy loss is understood or experienced in relation to food. Anu discusses how food is seen as not only physically nourishing or harmful during pregnancy for Indian women, but also how food prep and sharing is used to symbolize different experiences and shape relationships between pregnant women and their mothers or grandmothers. Indo-Canadian women engage with multiple and often competing guidelines for pregnancy and loss in Canada, and Anu expertly navigates this complex issue throughout the episode. Listen in the player above, or find on any major podcast platform! Resources: Khiara Bridges book: https://www.amazon.ca/Reproducing-Race-Ethnography-Pregnancy-Racialization/dp/0520268954 AAA Meetings: http://www.americananthro.org/AttendEvents/landing.aspx?ItemNumber=14722&navItemNumber=566 Get Social with Anu Twitter and Instagram: @anulotay Website: www.anulotay.com