Cyborg emerging : obstetrics and gynaecology in post-independence Singapore

• Main Author: Rao, Tejala Niketan
• Other Authors: Park Hyung Wook
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities::History
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/76598
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This thesis explores the development of obstetrics and gynaecology in post-independence Singapore. Through using Donna Haraway’s theories of cyborgs, this thesis shows how in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, women were encouraged to incorporate technology into their bodies, blurring the lines between humans and technology. Hence, the Singaporean woman was re-conceptualized as a network of processes stretching beyond Singapore’s borders. This perspective allows us to understand the contradictions of the Singaporean woman’s role in the medical system. At the same time, it becomes evident that these contradictions were merely a microcosm of the Singaporean medical system as it operated in the broader global environment. Although the official narrative propounded was one of triumphalist medical progress, the reality was very different for practitioners and patients alike, as the forces of global capitalism introduced a new type of anxiety that complicated the relationship between doctors and patients.