The Many Meanings of Menstruation: Practices, Imaginaries and Access to Water and Sanitation Infrastructure in Lusaka, Zambia

Amie Jammeh, Tatiana Acevedo-Guerrero

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

The menstrual lives of young women in the Global South have emerged as topics of interest among development agencies, leading to the implementation of Menstrual Hygiene Management programmes in schools. With these programmes as backdrop, this chapter considers young women’s menarche and menstruation experiences and practices. It is based on photovoice research with a group of 22 students living and studying in George and Chawama, two of the fastest growing neighborhoods of Lusaka, Zambia. It engages with the work of feminist geographers to argue that students and their mothers navigate uncertain and precarious everyday realities. This chapter increases understanding of challenges and expectations related to menarche and menstruation by looking through the eyes of students themselves and exploring their contexts and views. It contributes to the field of critical menstruation studies, which has highlighted how Menstrual Hygiene Management tends to feed imaginaries of women and girls of the Global South as unable to manage their own monthly blood, disregarding their traditional menstrual practices, cultures and socio-economic contexts.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationRoutledge Handbook of Gender and Water Governance
EditorsTatiana Acevedo-Guerrero, Lisa Bossenbroek, Irene Leonardelli, Margreet Zwarteveen, Seema Kulkarni
PublisherTaylor and Francis
Chapter16
Pages221- 239
Number of pages19
Edition1
ISBN (Electronic)9781003100379
ISBN (Print)9780367607586
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2024

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