Palabras clave
escritura femenina
maternidad
naturopatía
ginecología
Cómo citar
Resumen
Este artículo propone examinar redefiniciones del embarazo, el parto y los cuidados perinatales en literatura espiritista escrita por mujeres en el siglo XIX. Se centra en manuales de naturopatía publicados por curanderas conectadas al movimiento ocultista del momento, observando representaciones de temas silenciados culturalmente y relacionados con la maternidad decimonónica. Aunque estos temas ya han sido mencionados en estudios previos sobre el espiritismo victoriano, aún no ha habido ninguna investigación centrada única y específicamente en visiones espiritistas de la maternidad, ni en la evidencia literaria de la participación femenina en la obstetricia alternativa dentro del marco del ocultismo finisecular. Para ello, este estudio ofrecerá, primero, una descripción de actitudes espiritistas respecto a la maternidad voluntaria, centrándose en debates sobre el consentimiento sexual y la contracepción en la prensa ocultista de la época. Esta sección es seguida de una introducción a los conflictos entre las curanderas espiritistas y las instituciones médicas dominadas por el hombre, que imponían criterios patriarcales en la ginecología. Estas observaciones proporcionan una contextualización para la sección principal de este artículo, la cual inspecciona reconsideraciones emancipatorias de la experiencia materna en textos literarios escritos por tres médiums espiritistas, prestando atención a cómo las autoras usaron sus creencias esotéricas como estrategias de resistencia ante la patologización masculina del embarazo y el parto en la medicina victoriana. Tal como pretende demostrar este análisis, la literatura espiritista contribuyó a la evolución de los derechos reproductivos en Gran Bretaña y Estados Unidos, proporcionando información accesible sobre la salud sexual de las mujeres.
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