Authoritative Knowledge,the Technological Imperative and Women’s Responses to Prenatal Diagnostic Technologies

Theories about authoritative knowledge (AK) and the technological imperative have received varying levels of interest in anthropological, feminist and science and technology studies. Although the anthropological literature abounds with empirical considerations of authoritative knowledge, few have considered both theories through an empirical, inductive lens. Data extracted from an earlier study of 30 women’s responses to termination for fetal anomaly are reanalyzed to consider the women’s views of, and responses to, prenatal diagnostic technologies (PNDTs). Findings indicate that a small minority embrace the societal portrayal of technology as univalently positive, while the majority have nuanced and ambivalent responses to the use of PNDTs. Further, the interface of authoritative knowledge and the technological imperative suggests that AK derives not only from medical provider status and technology use, but also from the adequacy and trustworthiness of the information. The issue of timing and uncertainty of the information also are interrogated for their impact on women’s lives and what that can illuminate about the theories of AK and the technological imperative.     

Articulating silences: experiential and biomedical constructions of hypertension symptomatology

In this article, we explore the flexible configuration of a local knowledge system about hypertension symptoms, foregrounding it against prevailing biomedical assertions regarding the asymptomatic or "silent" nature of hypertension. The complex and coherent knowledge system held by older African Americans living in a southern, rural community stands in contrast to the current scientific discourse and local biomedical perspectives on hypertension symptomatology. The older African American participants in this study apply local knowledge of hypertension symptomatology to make health decisions nearly every day. Despite this, most biomedical practitioners maintain a distance from these lay sources of knowledge, often remaining stalwart in their refusal to recognize the existence or influence of symptoms. We conclude that authoritative knowledge ultimately lies in the minds and bodies of the elders, who have encountered symptoms as guideposts that direct action, rather than with a biomedical "reality" that is yet unresolved.     

Anesthesiology: regional anesthesia in children

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in anesthesiology. Each item, in the judgement of a panel of knowledge physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in anesthesiology that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Anesthesiology of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Otolaryngology/Head and neck surgery: needle aspiration of peritonsillar abscesses

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in otolaryngology/head and neck surgery that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Physical medicine and rehabilitation: somatosensory evoked potentials in monitoring spinal operations

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in physical medicine and rehabilitation. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in physical medicine and rehabilitation that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Preventive Medicine and Public Health: Using Health Risk Appraisal in Clinical Practice

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in preventive medicine and public health. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome, and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, researchers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in preventive medicine and public health that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the California Medical Association, and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Mastery of Mothering Skills and Satisfaction with Associated Health Services: An Ethnocultural Comparison

In this paper, I examine the mastery of mothering skills and satisfaction with associated health services in women who had recently given birth in Montreal (n = 33). I compare experience between women of two distinct ethnocultural groups: Anglophone Euro-Canadian and Anglophone Afro-Caribbean. The overall aim is to discern differentials in the mastery of mothering skills and associated satisfaction with maternal and child health services. The study is framed by neo-Weberian social theory suggesting that modernization and bureaucratization increasingly eviscerate everyday skills and knowledge. These processes also lead to changes regarding what is considered credible ‘authoritative knowledge.’ I found that older Anglophone Euro-Canadians expressed the greatest skill deficits. They attempted to redress these deficits through consultation of professionally authored books, medical Web sites and health professionals. Older Anglophone Euro-Canadians saw these resources as sources of ‘authoritative knowledge.’ They also expressed dissatisfaction with related health services. In contrast, Anglophone Afro-Caribbeans and younger lower-income Anglophone Euro-Canadians expressed satisfaction with their skills. This derived from widespread previous experience with children and more extensive and readily available kith and kin networks. These were considered sources of ‘authoritative knowledge’ in this group. This group expressed less dissatisfaction with health services, as they did not need, or expect, these services to redress skill deficits.

Driving Bison and Blackfoot Science

Archaeological and ethnohistorical evidence of buffalo jumping is concentrated in Blackfoot (Nitsitapi) territory. Although the hardware of buffalo jumps has been documented extensively, little is known of the software, in particular the skills required to drive stampeding herds of bison over long distances to the deadfall, on foot, and often for days. The origins and nature of bison driving knowledge is explored on the basis of ethnohistory as well as Blackfoot chronicles, philosophy, and linguistics, and compared with the findings of recent field studies on the relationships between bison and wolves in the northern Great Plains. Blackfoot explanations of bison driving as knowledge learned from wolves are entirely plausible, and shed light on Blackfoot ecological methodology, as well as the development of human–canid hunting relationships generally.     

Authoritative knowledge and single women's unintentional pregnancies,abortions, adoption,and single motherhood: social stigma and structural violence

This article explores the sources of authoritative knowledge that shaped single, white, middle-class women's unintentional pregnancies and child-bearing decisions throughout five reproductive eras. Women who terminated a pregnancy were most influenced by their own personal needs and circumstances. birth mothers' decisions were based on external sources of knowledge, such as their mothers, social workers, and social pressures. In contrast, single mothers based their decision on instincts and their religious or moral beliefs. Reproductive policies further constrained and significantly shaped women's experiences. The social stigma associated with these forms of stratified maternity suggests that categorizing pregnant women by their marital status, or births as out-of-wedlock, reproduces the structural violence implicit to normative models of female sexuality and maternity. This mixed-method study included focus groups to determine the kinds of knowledge women considered authoritative, a mailed survey to quantify these identified sources, and one-on-one interviews to explore outcomes in depth.     

"Milk Makes Me Sick but My Body Needs It": Conflict and Contradiction in the Establishment of Authoritative Knowledge

This article takes lactose intolerance as a topic for exploring clashes power, authority, and knowledge in clinical interactions and interpretations oflaywomen. In clinics providing maternal and child care, staff clients jointly produced authoritative knowledge, most often a version biomedicine. The Euroamerican staff tended to give advice that was biologically appropriate for them but not for many of their patients, a process reflecting what we refer to as biocentrism. Resulting information given to pregnant and lactating women and diagnoses of children's growth patterns were inappropriate in some cases, with potentially serious legal and health implications. Clinic staff often unwittingly ignored the efforts of their clients to begin a discussion of discrepancies between their bodily knowledge and clinic advice. Some women created their own syntheses, which supported the ascendancy ofbiomedical knowledge were not in the interests of their own health, [authoritative knowledge, maternal-child health, biocentrism, lactose intolerance, popular medicine, United States]     

Pediatrics: ribavirin and respiratory syncytial virus infections

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in pediatrics. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in pediatrics that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Pediatrics of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Orthopedics: the impingement syndrome and the rotator cuff

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in orthopedics. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in orthopedics that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Orthopedics of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Obstetrics and gynecology: AIDS and pregnancy

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in obstetrics and gynecology. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in obstetrics and gynecology that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Obstetrics and Gynecology of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Psychiatry: cognitive therapy for depression and panic disorder

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in psychiatry. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in psychiatry that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Psychiatry of the California Medical Association, and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Radiology: angiographic diagnosis and therapy for impotence

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in radiology. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome, and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in radiology that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Radiology of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Urology-important advances in clinical medicine: physical and psychological results of penile prostheses

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in urology. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in urology that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Urology of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Articulated Knowledges: Environmental Forms after Universality's Demise

Critiques of universalism require rethinking when confronted with environmental political arenas, in which the very concepts of "universality" and "particularity" are in a constant process of self-conscious deployment. In this article, I attend to the analytic and political implications of such deployments in a recent incinerator controversy in Hong Kong. I suggest that an aesthetic of local appropriateness and its formal requirement of simultaneous universal and particular truth value normalize the politics of environmental expertise such that the only legible form for counterknowledge is one of articulated knowledges. To understand how the knowledges emergent in an NGO–village collaboration were scaled, linked, and mobilized, I analyze a translation of expert knowledge and the event's metapragmatic effects. A subsequent account of unarticulated knowledges emphasizes the political-economic conditions that limit whose knowledges can count as particular in articulations of counterexpertise.     

Urology: new developments in diagnosing and treating erectile impotence

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in urology. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in urology that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another.The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Urology of the California Medical Association and the summaries were prepared under its direction.     

Honest advocacy for nature: presenting a persuasive narrative for conservation

Conservation scientists are increasingly recognising the value of communicating policy-relevant knowledge to policy-makers. Whilst considerable progress has been made in offering practical advice for scientists seeking to engage more closely with decision-makers, researchers have provided few tangible examples to learn from. This paper uses an English case study, but draws out important high-level messages relevant to conservation scientists worldwide. The case study looks at how the Lawton Review presented knowledge persuasively about the suitability of England’s ecological network to deal with future pressures. Through skilful framing of rigorous scientific knowledge it was able to make a significant impact on government policy. Impact was achieved through: (1) selecting politically salient frames through which to communicate; (2) using clear, accessible language, and; (3) conducting rigorous science using an authoritative team of experts. Although its publication coincided with a favourable policy window, the Lawton Review seized on this opportunity to communicate a rigorously argued, persuasive and practical conservation message; in other words, it performed ‘honest advocacy’. Thus, whilst it remains important to conduct scientific research with technical rigour, conservation scientists could also benefit from identifying salient frames for conservation and communicating clearly.