SPIRITUAL BORDER CROSSINGS: CHILDBIRTH, POSTPARTUM SECLUSION AND RELIGIOUS ALTERITY IN AMHARA, ETHIOPIA

ABSTRACTThis article examines the event of postpartum seclusion of mother and infant in the Amhara region of north-west Ethiopia. During the period between birth and baptism, the mother–child pair remains in private repose, is subject to a variety of ritual prohibitions, and is barred from entering a church. Despite the mother's Orthodox Christian identity, both she and the child are called ‘Muslims’ during this time. Why should this be the case? What happens during the birthing event and its aftermath that would bring about this temporary shift in their religious designation? By shedding light on the distinct models of maternal care, safety, and danger that are emphasized in ‘childbed’, this study seeks an answer to these questions. In doing so, it also contributes to a broader understanding of why most Amhara mothers do not, at present, avail themselves of institutional deliveries and biomedical births but prefer to give birth at home.