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Bio-logics of Poverty Study Notes

2 Bio-logics of Poverty

Introduction

  • In late 201!, results were published from a study in a prestigious international nutrition journal reporting high rates of microcephaly among babies in rural communities around San Juan Ostuncalco.

    • Microcephaly Definition: Defined by WHO as at least 2.0 standard deviations below median growth-for-age standards for head circumference, indicating stunting of the skull (Chomat et al. 201!).

  • Study led by a White European woman from a Canadian university, focusing on maternal health in the first thousand days.

  • For three years, the research team conducted in-depth interviews and collected measurements (cortisol and anthropometric) from pregnant women, indicating consistently smaller head sizes of babies compared to global guidelines.

  • Guatemalan field assistants, trained nutrition graduates, employed low-cost technology: measured babies’ head circumference twice (at birth and six months later) using measuring tape.

  • The publication highlighted that out of 1!! mothers enrolled, 1( percent had microcephalic infants in the postpartum period, with 1! percent maintaining the condition six months later (Chomat et al. 201!).

    • Public health perspective:

      • High numbers are shocking; typically associated with malnutrition of mothers affecting baby's development.

  • Internal research suggests a broader perspective beyond malnutrition to consider historical aspects reflected in global health policies.

Anthropometric Measurements and Misconceptions

  • The chapter proposes viewing the results as influenced by a history of scientific racism.

    • Use of head size in nutrition policy reflects the outcomes of misdirected actions of nutrition science.

  • Discussion focuses on the Window of 1,000 Days agenda that promotes maternal bodies as critical sites for child investment, linking women's nutrition to children's growth and societal contribution.

  • Importance of intersections among maternal nutrition, eugenics, and scientific racism, exploring how these theories of fetal development advance racial capitalism, affecting human worth based on biological criteria.

    • Women’s bodies conceptually framed as environments for early-life growth leads to bureaucratic control over domestic activities and reproductive practices.

  • The term “bio-logics of poverty” is introduced, suggesting that these logics both create and sustain inequality.

    • Definition of Bio-logics: A combination of “bios” (life) and “logos” (rules/structure) serves to present biology as a rationale for poverty and hunger issues.

    • Commonly discussed concept: “biologies of poverty,” where poverty is perceived to weaken biological functions, which in turn contributes to poverty.

Biopower and Symbolic Capital

  • Biopower and biopolitics inform how politics exploit the biology of populations for governance purposes.

  • The chapter emphasizes that biology is a cultural construct, and definitions of biology emerge from complex historical, political, economic, and social contexts.

  • Challenges the notion that race is solely cultural by introducing the concept of cultural formation of biology.

    • Rejects the dichotomy of culture vs. biology, highlighting that cultural practices are integral to understanding biological classifications.

    • Critique of how focusing on biological deficiency risks reinforcing biological determinism while neglecting cultural and political influences.

  • Engaging in personal reflection, dialogue showcases divergent views on understanding biological intersections with social practices.

    • Concern exists about disassociating biology from cultural implications; favoritism for established hierarchies.

Racism and Control in Global Health

  • Discussions of how racism supports perceptions of biological superiority, evidenced through anthropometric measures, are linked with the desire for racial capitalism and control.

    • Leith Mullings (200!, ++C) comments on exploiting labor market dynamics by fostering racial differentiations.

    • Cedric Robinson (2000, 2+) discusses how Euro-American capitalism amplifies perceived differences to dominate labor contexts.

  • The chapter illustrates how measurements of growth, especially in terms of stunting, reflect long-standing notions of Whitest superiority and racial capitalist needs in measuring Indigenous populations.

  • There is a critique of over-reliance on international organizations and metrics for decision-making in impoverished communities and their health.

Anthropometrics and Sustainable Development

  • The publication of the microcephaly study in 201! aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting global health’s evolving focus on nutrition.

    • Unilever CEO Quote: SDGs seen as a “I12 trillion business opportunity”.

  • Decade of Action on Nutrition: Nutrition prioritized across all SDGs as a fundamental component of sustainable development. This was framed around the idea that sustainable achievements rely on proper nutrition.

    • Historical context about the imperative to measure hunger in quantifiable data to gain political traction for global assessments.

  • Stunting emerges as a suggested measurement for chronic malnutrition, linking it tangentially with traumatic conditions of development through the paradigm of chronic undernutrition.

    • Widely cited comparisons to “rings on trees,” suggesting stunting forms a clear record of living conditions shaped by nutrition throughout childhood.

  • The Global Burden of Disease Study depicts stunting as a global health indicator, solidifying the link between chronic malnutrition and health disparities, asserting that invisible suffering exacerbates global inequality.

Growth Standards and Cultural Impact

  • WHO guidelines for growth, established with a selective demographic model, propose that all bodies can ideally achieve similar height metrics.

    • These standards represent ideal conditions and spur interventions based on biological deficiencies inferred from deviations.

    • Highlights that logarithmic growth means deviations from standard environments suggest inherent biological issues.

  • The emphasis on stunting as an indicator leads to medicalization of entire communities seen as in need of intervention, focusing on enhancing environmental aspects solely linked to maternal health.

Maternal Health Focus: The Window of 1,000 Days

  • Zero Hunger Pact in Guatemala framed maternal nutrition as central to reducing child stunting, linking economic growth with women’s bodies.

  • Observational data revealed an alarming prevalence of stunting among Indigenous populations, which persists despite interventions.

  • Various interventions highlight maternal nutrition alongside anthropometric objectives aimed at improving overall childhood growth metrics.

  • Weight-based interventions for children's nutrition continue to influence ongoing health campaigns.

Eugenic Foundations of Nutrition Science

  • The research linking head circumference with cognitive growth reflects a complex history in the U.S. regarding body measurement and its implications for eugenics.

  • Historical figures such as Francis Galton contributed significantly to anthropometric field development and associated the eugenic narratives of racial fitness to perceived intellectual capabilities.

  • The Moynihan Report and ensuing cultural narratives around Black welfare families suggest broader implications for class, race, and health, connecting poverty to systemic cultural inadequacies rather than recognizing structural impediments.

Conclusion: Correcting Scientific Misunderstandings

  • A critical review of nutrition metrics indicates a consistent bias toward equating height with cognitive function, overlooking social, structural, and discrimination impacts faced by Indigenous populations.

  • Continued discourse veers away from essential cultural recognition and tends to reinforce colonial perspectives under the guise of scientific progress within global health contexts.

  • Addressing maternal health without considering socio-political relations and historical contexts fails to propagate holistic solutions to reproduction and health equity.

  • Advocating for broader recognition of how maternal and child measurements function within larger systemic relations of power allows for more nuanced strategies.

  • The chapter emphasizes the need to dismantle harmful narratives around bio-logical equating between race, height, and worth, reported through historically informed perspectives.

Suggested Further Reading

  • Mullings, Leith. (200!, ++C). Interrogating Racism.

  • Robinson, Cedric. (2000, 2+). The terms of racialization under Euro-American capitalism.

  • King, Martin Luther Jr. (1967). Speech on the War on Poverty.

  • Scrimshaw, Nevin, and Moisés Béhar. (1(+!). Documentation of protein-calorie malnutrition.

  • Diener, Paul. (1(E2, 2!E). Critique on INCAP and history of commercial expediency.