“It just didn’t feel right to be ashamed of it”: the transforming perceptions of menstruation of young (upper-)middle-class women in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Although menstruation is and has been a popular subject of research in anthropology, including in Bangladesh in particular, little to none of the existing studies have been conducted with a focus on (young) Dhaka-based women belonging to the (upper-)middle class. This thesis addresses how those women talk about their perceptions of menstruation, with special attention to the transformations that they indicated to have gone through regarding those since their first period. Specifically, this research looks at the different perceptions that the young, (upper-)middle class women have held, what different kinds of knowledge they have indicated to have played a role in shaping the changes that occurred, and how all of this has been interpreted and explained. Although experiences differed from person to person, it is shown that perceptions converge more among the participants of this research now than initially, many currently describing them as more ‘open’, ‘liberal’ and ‘positive’ (rather than ‘conservative’, ‘taboo’ or ‘negative’). The plurality of knowledge – and how these women negotiate it, for example through the process of bricolage – plays an important role in the transformations. Although trajectories of change were often described as personal journeys, many women still worked to relate their narratives to wider socio-political structures. It looks that many realise that experiences with regards to menstruation are contingent and individual, yet situated – and with that so are the changes in perception that women may or may not go through.
“It just didn’t feel right to be ashamed of it”: the transforming perceptions of menstruation of young (upper-)middle-class women in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Although menstruation is and has been a popular subject of research in anthropology, including in Bangladesh in particular, little to none of the existing studies have been conducted with a focus on (young) Dhaka-based women belonging to the (upper-)middle class. This thesis addresses how those women talk about their perceptions of menstruation, with special attention to the transformations that they indicated to have gone through regarding those since their first period. Specifically, this research looks at the different perceptions that the young, (upper-)middle class women have held, what different kinds of knowledge they have indicated to have played a role in shaping the changes that occurred, and how all of this has been interpreted and explained. Although experiences differed from person to person, it is shown that perceptions converge more among the participants of this research now than initially, many currently describing them as more ‘open’, ‘liberal’ and ‘positive’ (rather than ‘conservative’, ‘taboo’ or ‘negative’). The plurality of knowledge – and how these women negotiate it, for example through the process of bricolage – plays an important role in the transformations. Although trajectories of change were often described as personal journeys, many women still worked to relate their narratives to wider socio-political structures. It looks that many realise that experiences with regards to menstruation are contingent and individual, yet situated – and with that so are the changes in perception that women may or may not go through.
