LA TIERRA TAMBIÉN ES DE LAS MUJERES: Birth, Nation-Building, and the Commodification of Indigenous Epistemologies

Abstract

This ethnography examines how the medicalization of childbirth in Peru has served as a tool of reproductive governance, regulating Indigenous reproduction through welfare programs and medical surveillance. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concept of biopower, the study traces how nation-building efforts reinforced biomedical dominance while marginalizing Indigenous epistemologies. Focusing on the case of Ruya, a midwife operating within global wellness circuits, it explores how interdisciplinary models of "traditional" midwifery risk commodifying Indigenous knowledge. Although framed as empowerment, such practices often reproduce colonial structures of control. This work calls for a critical re-centering of Indigenous reproductive sovereignty, recognizing that both overt violence and subtle forms of appropriation threaten the autonomy and futures of Indigenous communities.