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Paper short abstract:

The paper explores the genesis of “exclusive breastfeeding” as a “biological norm” in public health. It describes the ontological shifts from unstable breast milk enacted in the relational becoming of infants to a multiple biochemical object in search of a universal remedy against structural violence and global food anxieties.

Paper long abstract:

Exclusive Breastfeeding during the first six months of life is the gold standard of the Global Strategy for Infant Feeding, including in contexts of HIV transmitted through breast milk. By contrast, this recently defined feeding method has never been commonly practiced worldwide. The paper explores the genesis and multiplicity of "exclusive breastfeeding" as an evidence-based public health measure, from postcolonial fights against infant mortality to current prevention efforts of HIV. Through an analysis of scientific literature, policy reports as well as expert interviews, I will explore the key moments and untidy connections that led to past and present exclusive breastfeeding policies and science. It describes a dynamic of purification, both material and ontological, of the gift of milk from contaminating waters, weaning foods and viruses. Similarly, breast milk became a shield against various nutrition disorders such as allergies and obesity. The history closes with the new WHO infant growth standards based on exclusive breastfeeding as a "biological norm". The paper discusses how the above-outlined account relates to the ontological shifts that transformed the unstable, relational substance of breast milk into an autonomous, yet multiple biochemical object in search of a universal remedy in contexts of structural violence and global food anxieties. Breast milk remains however unfixed, because it is enacted through the relations of infants, mothers and others in the procreative making and remaking of bodies, persons and collectives.