Calm Vessels: Cultural Expectations of Pregnant Women in Qatar

This article explores emerging themes from the first stage ofethnographic research investigating pregnancy and loss in Qatar. Issues aroundthe development of foetal personhood, the medical management of the pregnantbody and the social role of the pregnant woman are explored. Findings suggest thatQatari women are expected to be calm vessels for their growing baby and shouldavoid certain foods and behaviours. These ideas of risk avoidance are linked toindigenous knowledge around a mother’s influence on a child’s health and traits.Motherhood holds a particularly important place in Qatari culture and in Islam,and women are ultimately responsible for protecting and promoting fertility andfor producing healthy children.