Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Breast feeding: a hybrid nature-culture

This article consists in an essay that aims, through a review of bibliography, to discuss the relation between a proposal of Bruno Latour about nature-culture and breast feeding. According to his proposal, having as reference an epistemological view, there is an attempt to establish dialogue between different scientific achievements with a view to contribute to the improvement of this subject in the field of public health. Firstly, the paradox of weaning is found in the scenery of knowledge and practices of breast feeding. The analysis is based on the relationship nature-science and culture-society, which are present in the process of breast feeding. Finally, the discussion has the aim of dealing with breast feeding as long as a hybrid between nature and culture, starting a new issue to the continuity in the debate about the thematic in question.

breast feeding; nature-culture; epistemology; public health


Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto / Universidade de São Paulo Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, 14040-902 Ribeirão Preto SP Brazil, Tel.: +55 (16) 3315-3451 / 3315-4407 - Ribeirão Preto - SP - Brazil
E-mail: rlae@eerp.usp.br