Methodologically, I thought Dixon did a great job of utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to her ethnography. In the introduction, I loved how Dixon took the time to differentiate her work from relevant literature, such as the work of Rosalynn A. Vega, by highlighting similarities and differences. I also liked how she shared her rationale for not including patient interviews to maintain a narrow focus on midwives, schooling, and their interactions with broader systems. These two minute details stood out to me as they reinforced her position and lens. In Chapter 3, I liked how she used Irma’s anecdote to exemplify infrastructural violence. This allowed this abstract concept to have a personal element, which invokes sympathy and compassion in readers. Consistently, Dixon utilizes this strategy to illustrate the infrastructural violence present in Mexico’s maternity care by highlighting the stories and anecdotes of midwives.
In regards to content, I found this reading to be very interesting. I love how she explores the intersection of self and system in a myriad of capacities. As someone who is not familiar with healthcare in Mexico, she provides enough historical context to allow the reader to understand her argument and her ethnographical work. She also draws on similarities (such as Black women and babies’ health outcomes in the United States) to spark thought on her larger concept of infrastructural violence but also to draw readers into her illustration of this concept in Mexico. All in all, I really thought this ethnography was profound.