Women of Belize: Gender and Change in Central America

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Ethnography
Review: Women of Belize is an interesting ethnography about a population that is normally not reported about. The author, Irma McClaurin, attempts to tell the story of three Belize women, each coming from different walks of life. McClaurin tells each womens story from their perspective and captures the lives they live- facing such issues as divorce, relationship with males, ownership of property, marriage, domestic violence, and most importantly how they, as women, factor into each of these issues. McClaurin does a wonderful job of telling the story of these women, yet from an anthropological/social science perspective she does not report on the consistency of her research methodology nor the ethics behind her research (example: how forming bonds with the women may have driven the results). A very interesting book for people interested in the Caribbeans, women's studies, or cultural anthropology.