조산사 생애사에 나타난 사회적 실천의 과정과 의미 탐색 [Exploring the Meaning of Social Practice in the Midwife Life History]

Midwives who operate their own private birth centers out-of-hospital are drastically disappearing in Korea. This study explores the process and meaning of social practice in the life of a midwife who has managed her own birth center for more than 30 years. Life-history interviews and field works for data collections and analysis were conducted for a year. This research shows three stages in her midwifery life as follows: (i) period of motive cultivation, (ii) period of midwifery training, and (iii) period of knowledge transformation. First, the period of motive cultivation was formed with concepts of social practice such as formation of Habitus, intention of the agent, and continuous actions. Her formation of Habitus had been reinforced by the death of her younger sister’s death and her first baby stillbirth, which had functioned as an enhancer for her dream as a midwife. Furthermore, as intention of the agent and continuos actions, her academic enthusiasm and exemplary efforts seem to provide a background for achieving her dream. Second, in the period of midwifery training, she reinforced her intention and actions to achieve her dream. This can be interpreted as intention of the agent and continuous actions in the concepts of social practice. Third, in the period of knowledge transformation, some of her practices were formed with the concepts of social practice such as cultivation of practical knowledge, intention of the agents, and continuos actions. For example, her idea for founding a postpartum care center and activities as a mentor of child-caring for new mothers reveal how her midwifery theoretical knowledge and previous experiences transformed into social practice. Her active cooperation with obstetricians in hospitals also indicates one aspect of social practice such as cooperative human relationship.