Author (Your Name)

Tessa D. SchruppFollow

Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Honors Thesis (Open Access)

Department

Colby College. French and Italian Dept.

Advisor(s)

Anaïs Maurer

Abstract

French Colonialism shaped Vietnam in profound and enduring ways. In particular, policies of the colonial government influenced the landscape of maternity and altered cultural perceptions of what it means to be a mother. Pronatalism, the promotion of female fecundity, was a central tenet of the “mission civilisatrice” promulgated by French medical professionals and government officials alike. This project seeks to examine the myriad reasons for the idealization of motherhood, the diverse responses of Vietnamese people to intervention, and the way colonial policies continue to affect modern day reproduction.

Keywords

Vietnam, Pronatalisme, Colonialisme français, maternité, « mission civilisatrice »

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