Configurative Domains in Child Health Research: Sudden Infant Death in the Swedish Medical Journal

Abstract

The aim of present investigation is to discover publishing portrayals embedded in sudden infant death informatics disseminated by a medical journal at regional level. In particular, gender configurative domains regarding health policy and nursing practices are scrutinized. A qualitative literature review was performed using a critical discourse analytical approach. The full texts of 55 articles/comments published within the field by the Swedish Medical Journal from January 1, 1980 to March 6, 2007 were examined. Four configurative domains were recognized as setting the agenda and as working throughout the reviewed text viz., (a) the clinical-medical episteme, (b) the individualized family domain, (c) gender domains in prevention and nursing practices, and finally (d) the configurative entry into gendered academic writing of the subject in view. The skewed gendered publishing portrayals observed were consistent throughout more than two decades. Gender analysis in child health research is highlighted.

Child Health Research in Contrasting Economies: Gender Recognition and Publishing Portraits

“…It might seem surprising that the theoretical and methodological discourse analytical approach outlined by Foucault (1972/82) is used in the present survey, as Foucault has been criticized for taking the masculine world as an entry-point for gendered observations (see the discussion regarding this in Connell, 2002). However, the author´s justification through earlier studies (Brännström, 2010a;Brännström, 2010b) for using a critical discourse-analysis framework, as outlined by Foucault, is that his theoretical and methodological approach-by discovering text domains in knowledge production-is well suited to the illumination of knowledge production in medical science i.e., principal text portraits/domains in medicine (see, e.g., Foucault, 1972/82, Chapters 1 and 6).…”

“…McLaren (2002) and Connell (2002) also remind the reader that there is no consensus among feminist theorists regarding Foucault´s approach, although they do note that Foucault has been criticized for stereotyping gender processes. However, in previous studies the author found a critical discourse analysis methodology, as outlined by Foucault (1972/82), to be a valuable tool when searching for meanings within a text, for example, when the intention is to discover publishing domains, including power processes, surrounding gender recognition in scientific knowledge production (Brännström, 2010a;Brännström, 2010b). Context, as used in the present study, includes the physical study environments targeted by the abstracts (e.g., child health clinics, neonatal nursing wards, or school health clinics etc.…”

Speaking discourses and silent lips: women and gender‐based portraits in sudden infant death publications

“…However, very few studies have focused on the publishing portraits revealed within current research concerning sudden death in infancy (Brännström ). Thus, the present survey emanates from investigations regarding discursive domains identified within key references (original articles) on SIDS disseminated internationally (Brännström ) and in Sweden (Brännström ), respectively. The results from these two surveys showed that preventive and parenting recommendations, despite coming partly from different geographical regions, were transmitted with limited or no clear recognition of social and economic contexts.…”

“…The results from these two surveys showed that preventive and parenting recommendations, despite coming partly from different geographical regions, were transmitted with limited or no clear recognition of social and economic contexts. The gendered publishing portrayals observed in the Swedish material revealed that men as individual fathers/caregivers were almost invisible but had the principal say in the public space (as authors), while women made extensive appearances in the private space (as mothers) but were marginalised or questioned as professional authors in this field of medicine (Brännström ). The intention in the current survey is therefore to go further and scrutinise the observed male‐dominated scientific coverage of SIDS, by means of a more in‐depth deconstruction of the gendered portraits, visible in the published portrayals of women/mothers as revealed in a journal of medicine at national level in a northern European country viz.…”

“…Thus, as McLaren () charges, Foucault considers that the individual more or less performs the sum of her/his life history in the same way as an artwork displays symbolic performances and configurations. The present survey encompasses gender recognition (doing gender and socially constructed) and sex differences (biological sex) as conceived by feminist theorists (Connell , West & Zimmerman ) and previously used by the author as guiding theoretical principles in text analysis (Brännström ,b,Brännström ). In addition, two theoretical and methodological guiding principles are also considered here (Byrne , Pullen ).…”