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Blood Magic: The Anthropology of Menstruation
Examining cultures as diverse as long-house dwellers in North Borneo, African farmers, Welsh housewives, and postindustrial American workers, this volume dramatically redefines the anthropological study of menstrual customs. It challenges the widespread image of a universal "menstrual taboo" as well as the common assumption of universal female subordination which underlies it. Contributing important new material and perspectives to our understanding of comparative gender politics and symbolism, it is of particular importance to those interested in anthropology, women's studies, religion, and comparative health systems.
342 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 14, 2020
“Blood Magic: The anthropology of menstruation” is a collection of essays edited by Alma Gottlieb and Thomas Buckley. While it is admittedly dated (published in 1988), I gained a lot from its contents.
The essays range in scope from the menstrual taboos among the Beng peoples off the Ivory Coast to the ties between menstruation and happiness or unhappiness in a village in Wales to the cultural perceptions (and creation) of PMS in post-industrial societies. With such a variety of experiences represented, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own cultural experience of the menstrual cycle.
This was a new concept to me. As a woman who has struggled intensely with physical pain and mental health related to my cycle, my first priority was not learning about menstruation in other cultures, but the “scientific” facts of what is supposed to be happening in my body, and what my symptoms “indicate.” While this approach got me far (thank you, blood labs and ultrasounds!), it wasn’t until I began to experience my cycle within the context of my culture that I was able to take the next step on my journey toward health.
Since I only recently read this book, the concepts that emerged in my awareness are still being developed. I’m not yet sure how the awareness of the cultural implications of my menstrual health will affect my life in the long run. For now, what I can say is that I will be more mindful of my exploration of “self care.”
Alisa Vitti points this out in “WomanCode,” but it wasn’t driven home for me until I read “Blood Magic”: my hormones are in constant flux throughout the month. Naturally, that means that my strengths, weaknesses, interests, desires and needs change as well. It’s ridiculous to expect myself to function exactly the same from day to day when, for example, my personality while ovulating wants to run uphill on hikes and flirt with everyone I see, while my luteal-phase self wants to spend lots of time in quiet self reflection. This has huge implications for my physical and emotional health, my work, and my relationships.
It’s difficult to overestimate how helpful witnessing how other cultures’ approaches to menstruation has been. Whereas before reading “Blood Magic” I thought that I could cure myself with herbs, changes to my diet, and exercise alone, I now realize how important it is to include my social life in my healing process, including being up front with people when scheduling meetings about why I can’t meet that day or why I was delayed in returning someone’s phone call.
This is important to me now, but I also realized how imperative it if for teenage girls to receive this kind of support from the adults in their lives. Teen, no matter what time of the month it is, have to go to school, do homework and chores, maintain a social life, and often work real jobs. They are under the care of the adults in their lives: doctors, parents, teachers, employers, etc., and need their support in navigating healthy relationships to their bodies and their cycles.
Perhaps my greatest takeaway is from the essay “Premenstrual Syndrome: Discipline, Work,
and Anger in Late Industrial Societies” by Emily Martin. In it, Martin suggests that the symptoms of Premenstrual “Syndrome” are really only negative in certain cultural contexts. “Cries a lot,” for example, might instead be read as “enhanced ability to process emotions.” “Diminished muscle control” may mean a woman can relax easier than at other times of the month. When I had come across similar concepts in the past I thought they were superstitious and overly romantic of the female experience. But after seeing examples of self care and taking advantage of the unique strengths of different parts of the menstrual cycle, I feel inspired to apply these lessons to my own life.
I came to this book after several years of exploring self help and medically focused books concerning gynecological health. At this point I consider myself a dedicated amateur on the topic of the menstrual cycle and felt ready to expand my search into new territory (anthropology). Therefore, if you’re like me, I would recommend this book to those looking for sources of information to reflect upon, not necessarily to act upon. “Blood Magic” does not explain the biological process of menstruation or offer explicit advice to menstruating people. Therefore, reading it, for me, was a practice in self reflection rather than a search for specific advice. I would recommend it to anyone looking for the same.
The essays range in scope from the menstrual taboos among the Beng peoples off the Ivory Coast to the ties between menstruation and happiness or unhappiness in a village in Wales to the cultural perceptions (and creation) of PMS in post-industrial societies. With such a variety of experiences represented, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own cultural experience of the menstrual cycle.
This was a new concept to me. As a woman who has struggled intensely with physical pain and mental health related to my cycle, my first priority was not learning about menstruation in other cultures, but the “scientific” facts of what is supposed to be happening in my body, and what my symptoms “indicate.” While this approach got me far (thank you, blood labs and ultrasounds!), it wasn’t until I began to experience my cycle within the context of my culture that I was able to take the next step on my journey toward health.
Since I only recently read this book, the concepts that emerged in my awareness are still being developed. I’m not yet sure how the awareness of the cultural implications of my menstrual health will affect my life in the long run. For now, what I can say is that I will be more mindful of my exploration of “self care.”
Alisa Vitti points this out in “WomanCode,” but it wasn’t driven home for me until I read “Blood Magic”: my hormones are in constant flux throughout the month. Naturally, that means that my strengths, weaknesses, interests, desires and needs change as well. It’s ridiculous to expect myself to function exactly the same from day to day when, for example, my personality while ovulating wants to run uphill on hikes and flirt with everyone I see, while my luteal-phase self wants to spend lots of time in quiet self reflection. This has huge implications for my physical and emotional health, my work, and my relationships.
It’s difficult to overestimate how helpful witnessing how other cultures’ approaches to menstruation has been. Whereas before reading “Blood Magic” I thought that I could cure myself with herbs, changes to my diet, and exercise alone, I now realize how important it is to include my social life in my healing process, including being up front with people when scheduling meetings about why I can’t meet that day or why I was delayed in returning someone’s phone call.
This is important to me now, but I also realized how imperative it if for teenage girls to receive this kind of support from the adults in their lives. Teen, no matter what time of the month it is, have to go to school, do homework and chores, maintain a social life, and often work real jobs. They are under the care of the adults in their lives: doctors, parents, teachers, employers, etc., and need their support in navigating healthy relationships to their bodies and their cycles.
Perhaps my greatest takeaway is from the essay “Premenstrual Syndrome: Discipline, Work,
and Anger in Late Industrial Societies” by Emily Martin. In it, Martin suggests that the symptoms of Premenstrual “Syndrome” are really only negative in certain cultural contexts. “Cries a lot,” for example, might instead be read as “enhanced ability to process emotions.” “Diminished muscle control” may mean a woman can relax easier than at other times of the month. When I had come across similar concepts in the past I thought they were superstitious and overly romantic of the female experience. But after seeing examples of self care and taking advantage of the unique strengths of different parts of the menstrual cycle, I feel inspired to apply these lessons to my own life.
I came to this book after several years of exploring self help and medically focused books concerning gynecological health. At this point I consider myself a dedicated amateur on the topic of the menstrual cycle and felt ready to expand my search into new territory (anthropology). Therefore, if you’re like me, I would recommend this book to those looking for sources of information to reflect upon, not necessarily to act upon. “Blood Magic” does not explain the biological process of menstruation or offer explicit advice to menstruating people. Therefore, reading it, for me, was a practice in self reflection rather than a search for specific advice. I would recommend it to anyone looking for the same.
October 9, 2012
My roommate in college had this book in a course - I took it away in the end.
Love this eye-opening cultural comparison of menstrual taboos, history, and even physical experience in different groups.
Love this eye-opening cultural comparison of menstrual taboos, history, and even physical experience in different groups.
May 19, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I appreciate the examination across different cultures in a way that doesn’t necessarily compare them, but allows you to naturally make your own connections with symbolism and cultural meaning. It is a bit dated, but the reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 3 was the acknowledgment at the beginning of the book detailing the limitations of the work. Each case study was written by a person outside of the culture of interest, and there is only so much an outsider can understand/will be allowed to participate in when it comes to different cultural groups. Some of the chapters were written by men, which is another layer of limitation. One of the biggest things I liked about this book was also one of the greatest limitations. Especially when it comes to older ethnographic studies, most people documenting are not focused on menstruation unless it is their topic of interest. Because of this, more contemporary researchers using older studies to back their work have to use the cultural context to glean information. Seeing the process of how someone uses ceremonies, interactions, particularities, etc. to make conclusions about a broader sense of an idea is very interesting. Some chapters used bottom-up thinking, some top-down. Context is always important. I’d recommend this to anyone looking to expand their knowledge of taboos and the human body as an expression of culture.
May 8, 2019
The majority of this book is fantastic and provides great insight into menstrual practices worldwide and what can be gained by studying them. I particularly enjoyed Martin's insight into PMS in late industrial societies. Gave me a lot to consider about my own culture. The first two sections stand the test of time so far but the final section unfortunately does not. The last section of the book however focuses on menstrual synchronicity and in many ways attempts to find a biological reason for cultural practice. While interesting, that section shows the 30+ years that have elapsed since this book was published. Regardless, this book does a fantastic job discussing a topic on the edge of anthropological study.
September 20, 2020
Blood Magic is a collection of essays analyzing taboos of menstruation all around the world, from the Ivory Coast, to remote villages in Turkey to Sierra Leone. Many of the taboos were not new to my knowledge, but the practices, reasoning and rituals surrounding these taboos were. There was a lot to learn in this work- but perhaps as a scientist, I found the anthropological writing style was a bit too dry for me. Not sure what I had in mind, but despite my deep interest and devotion into this subject, I felt the writing style was difficult for me to personally concentrate. Overall, an insightful read!
March 2, 2024
The introductory chapters were not meant for layman untrained in Anthropological terminology. The book is meant for the university classroom, but as a layman I found that part of the book pedantic. I suspect a lot of teachers told students to skip the intro chapters. The case studies however were fascinating, and I found the evolution of thought on the topic as the field of Anthropology evolved from a male dominated science to one including more women field researchers very interesting. Looking at the views of people from around the world in many different cultures made the read worth it for me.
May 1, 2018
This is very much an anthropology book, but some great information in here.
February 27, 2019
Very interesting read.
April 12, 2024
So incredibly informative. Using this extensively for my research, but it's also a great read for anyone interested in cultural and historical accounts of menstruation.
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April 24, 2009Recommended for me by Amazon based on my previous purchases.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews