The Haunting Fetus: Abortion, Sexuality, and the Spirit World in Taiwan [Hardcover]

Marc L. Moskowitz (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 206 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Hawaii Pr (June 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824823540
• ISBN-13: 978-0824823542
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,612,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Marc L. Moskowitz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of South Carolina and the Visual Anthropology Review Editor for the American Anthropologist. Focusing on the intersection between gender, sexuality, and popular culture in Chinese-speaking Asia, he is a recipient of the Chiang Ching-Kuo, Fulbright, and Fulbright-Hays Awards.

In addition to his books he has published in a range of journals in both Taiwan and the United States, including the China Quarterly, Popular Music, and Sexualities.

Since his first trip to the PRC in the late 1980s, Moskowitz lived in Chinese-speaking Asia for over ten years.

To see his home page please go to:

http://people.cas.sc.edu/moskowitz/myindex.htm

To see YouTube videos, translated lyrics, and other information about the songs in his book "Cries of Joy, Songs of Sorrow" please to to:

http://people.cas.sc.edu/moskowitz/songs.html

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Haunting Fetus, February 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Haunting Fetus: Abortion, Sexuality, and the Spirit World in Taiwan (Paperback)

In this highly readable yet intellectually engaging
work, Moskowitz delivers a remarkable account of the
practice of fetus worship in contemporary Taiwan.
Integral to this account is a compelling discussion
of the cultural and emotional struggles Taiwanese women
experience in their decision to undergo an abortion,
and in their consequent attempts at finding psychological
and spiritual resolution.

Moskowitz's analysis is also noteworthy in its ability
to situate the psychological implications of these practices
in a complex religious and historical context. The result is
a truly fascinating work and an important contribution toward the
understanding of sexuality and spirtual life in Taiwan.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A portrait of spiritual life in Taiwan, January 10, 2002

By 

Paige Esbrook "esbropa" (Evanston, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Haunting Fetus: Abortion, Sexuality, and the Spirit World in Taiwan (Hardcover)

I read this book in its unedited form, so it may have changed a bit since then, but I loved it. The picture it paints of life in Taiwan is moving and explicit, and the language and situations range from compassionate to humorous. The topic is academic but the langauge isn't, so it's appropriate for the general public as well as academians. I especially loved the section on the noodle vendor who ran an appeasement sideline. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest, however passing, in Asian culture.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marco Moscowitz is a real genius..., January 16, 2002

By 

"kabirpeay" (New Haven, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Haunting Fetus: Abortion, Sexuality, and the Spirit World in Taiwan (Hardcover)

Moscowitz has done an excellent job of taking an incredibly complicated subject and made it accessible to a wide range of audiences without sacrificing any of the content. The topic itself is fascinating and will most likely prove to be a seminal work in understanding how ancient cultures adapt to modern life. I can think of no topic better suited than abortion and the haunting fetus to highlight the conflicts and contradictions inherent in this process. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding the metamorphosis of traditional Chinese culture as it moves into the new millenium.