Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to outline an analysis of the genealogy and the performativity of the «obstetric violence», a recent sociopolitical category. On the straight of a critical approach based on the sociology of knowledge, the author supports two thesis: on one hand, obstetric violence, like a moral idea, is an index for a large disintermediation social process; this process challenges both the delegate logic that leads expert systems, and put woman-subject in the centre of the social world. On other hand, obstetric violence like a rational category, redefines the sense of scientific knowledge and practices on childbirth. This paper is divided into four parts: first, the gender perspective by the author; second, the origin of the critical approach toward medicalization of childbirth (mainly according to sociological perspective); third, to define the obstetric violence; fourth, to analyze this category both political-cultural subject and scientific discourse with a truthfulness claim.