Embodied Hegemonies

Women, Well-Being and Social Reproduction in the Trinidadian-Present

Abstract

Hegemonic ideologies both frame and limit the prevailing conception of the Trinidadian present. We can see this acutely at play with the struggles surrounding identity construction of Trinidadian women in the twenty-first century. In understanding the experience of women in Trinidadian society, health can be understood as an indicator of the class-status matrix, particularly when considering the non-communicable disease epidemic in the Caribbean. By directing our attention to both the body and the conditions under which the body exists, we can examine a history of exploitation and varied responses to exploitation. Drawing upon intersectionality, feminist, materialist and decolonizing frameworks, this research paper points at locations of ongoing gendered class formations, highlighting the dialectical relationship between identity categories that influence the mode of self-understanding of women in Trinidad and Tobago, their health outcomes, and well-being. Historical and cultural factors become important in understanding the value systems created for women and reproduced by society pertaining to wellness and health behaviors.