I just finished reading a good, interesting book: "Our Babies, Ourselves" by
Meredith Small, an anthropologist right here at Cornell University. (And, so
you know the breastfeeding information is good, she cites our very own Diane
Wiessinger as the expert Lactation Consultant!)

She deals with "how culture and biology shape the way we parent" , from an
"ethnopediatrics" point of view. Talks extensively about how various
cultures deal with sleep, crying, breastfeeding, childcare, and parenting,
across non-Western, nonindustrialized cultures such as the !Kung San in
Africa, the Ache in Paraguay, the Gusii in Africa(?), & others I can't
remember or spell,  as well as Japanese and North American practices. Quite
pertinent to the discussions currently in progress here about sleep,
parental expectations, whiny mothers, etc. I'm no anthrolopogist, but
cross-cultural anthropology is a particular interest of mine, since my
constant refrain is "in other cultures, they..." (can find justification for
almost anything in those "other cultures" - forgive me, any of you
anthropologists, I mean it in the purest way!). I'm no scientist either, but
what the author says matches well with what I know. She cites McKenna's work
heavily, and Kathy D's as well, and she spent time with Diane W. researching
BFing, so you know she's on the right track!

Anyway, I recommend this book. It's not excessively "heavy" scientific
journal-type reading, either, so I think that parents would enjoy it, if
they're inclined that way. (i.e. It's definitely not a "how-to-parent" book,
but for anyone interested in how OTHER people parent, or how it comes to be
that we think we need 8 straight hours of sleep, etc., it would be of
interest, and might encourage people to THINK, rather than to just assume
that "our" way is the only way.)

Cathy Bargar, RN, IBCLC, anthropologically inclined