Foreword / Urie Bronfenbrenner -- pt. I. African infancy: Frameworks for understanding. 1. The comparative study of child care. 2. Infant care in sub-Saharan Africa -- pt. II. Parenthood among the Gusii of Kenya. 3. Gusii culture: A person-centered perspective. 4. Gusii fertility, marriage, and family. 5. Pregnancy and birth -- pt. III. Infant care and development in a Gusii community. 6. Infant care: Cultural norms and interpersonal environment. 7. Survival and health: Priorities for early development. 8. Communication and social learning during infancy. 9. Variations in infant interaction: Illustrative cases -- pt. IV. Interpretations. 10. Early child development in an African context: Comparative lessons -- Appendix A Fieldwork procedures: Initial phases and planning -- Appendix B Coding categories for spot observations -- Appendix C Blankhart Nutrition Questionnaire -- Appendix D Temperament Assessment Method -- Appendix E Coding categories for narrative observations
Summary:
Child Care and Culture examines parenthood, infancy, and early childhood in an African community, raising provocative questions about "normal" child care. Comparing the Gusii people of Kenya with the American white middle class, the authors show how divergent cultural priorities create differing conditions for early childhood development.
Gusii mothers, who bear ten children on average, focus on goals of survival during infancy and compliance during early childhood, following a cultural model of maternal behavior for achieving these goals. Their practices are successful in a local context but diverge sharply from those considered normal or optimal in North America and Europe, especially in terms of cognitive stimulation, social engagement, emotional arousal, verbal responsiveness, and emotional support for exploration and conversation. Combining the perspectives of social anthropology, pediatrics, and developmental psychology, the authors demonstrate how child care customs can be responsive to varied socioeconomic, demographic, and cultural conditions without inflicting harm on children.
