Josephine McRobbie (MA '03) and Joseph O’Connell, independent folklorists based in Durham, North Carolina, received an Archie Green Fellowship to document “The Culture of Birth Work in North Carolina.”
The researchers will focus on the occupational folklife of midwives and doulas working in a variety of institutional settings, including academic research hospitals, local community practices in underserved communities, and private homes. They will document the experiences of approximately 20 contemporary birth workers and explore the vast body of knowledge that they have inherited, learned, and practiced in the course of their professional duties.
The College of Arts