Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy
A Midwifery of Darker Times
Working with archival material, historical medical objects and personal testimonies, this research-based project examines the historical practice of symphysiotomy and pubiotomy in Irish hospitals from the 1940s to 1980s. The series analyses the circumstances in which the surgeries were carried out and the lifechanging affects they had on women. The procedure, performed before and sometimes after childbirth on around 1,500 women, involved cutting through the cartilage and ligaments of the pelvic joint (or in severe cases sawing through the pelvis) to aid obstructed labour. It was carried out instead of a safer alternative, a Caesarean section, and usually without the patient’s consent. The practice was an unholy alliance between medical authority and religion.
Anna Cassidy • Marina Dmitrik • Nicole Filby • Hayley Houlihan • Shaurya Jung Chauhan • Peter Kappel • Ella Lynch • Stephen McPadden • Sarah Navan • Orla Neiland • Elin O'Rourke • Elizabeth O'Shaughnessy •
Bath Spa University
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University of Bedfordshire
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University of Brighton
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University of Chester
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Coventry University
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Colchester School of Art
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University Of Cumbria
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University of Derby
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Edinburgh College
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Edinburgh College of Art
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University Centre Farnborough
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University for the Creative Arts Farnham
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City of Glasgow College
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Griffith College Dublin
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Hereford College of Arts
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University of Hertfordshire
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IADT Dun Laoghaire
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University of Central Lancashire
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University of Lincoln
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London Metropolitan University
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Manchester School of Art
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Middlesex University
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National College of Art and Design
Certificate in Photography and Digital Imaging
The Northern School of Art
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Open College of the Arts
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University of Portsmouth
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UCA Rochester
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Sheffield Hallam University
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University of South Wales
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University of South Wales
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Staffordshire University
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University of Suffolk
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Ulster University
BA (Hons) Photography with Video
The University of Wales Saint Trinity David
BA (Hons) Photography in the Arts
The University of Wales Saint Trinity David
BA (Hons) Documentary Photography