First Blood
A Cultural Study of Menarche
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https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/31441/1/628132.pdf
Author(s)
Dammery, Sally
Collection
Knowledge Unlatched (KU)Language
EnglishAbstract
What woman forgets discovering her first period? First Blood examines the ways in which women from various countries – India, Sri Lanka, England, the Philippines, Greece, Italy, Uganda, Indonesia, Fiji, Chile, Ukraine, Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong – recall this moment of menarche and what it meant to them, their families, and their societies. What is the mystique of women’s first blood? Blood is blood – or is it? What is the history of menstruation, and does this history belong to women? Who created the meanings associated with menarche, and why? Are there marked cultural differences? Have meanings changed over time? First Blood answers these questions and investigates beliefs and traditions surrounding menarche, including the concepts of uncleanness, ceremony, secrecy, and lore still existing in many parts of the world. The influence of the sanitary hygiene industry is also explored, as is the role of the pharmaceutical industry in making menstruation optional.
Keywords
Sociology; menarche; menstruation; first menstruation; cultural attitudes to menstruation; menstruation and religion; folklore about menstruation; historical attitudes to menstruation; implications of menstruation; beliefs about menstruation; Menarche; MenstruationISBN
9781876924836Publisher
Monash University PublishingPublication date and place
Clayton, Victoria, Australia, 2015Grantor
Series
Cultural Studies,Classification
History: specific events and topics