INTUITION AS AUTHORITATIVE KNOWLEDGE IN MIDWIFERY AND HOMEBIRTH

As defined by Jordan (1992, 1993[1978]), authoritative knowledge motiv ates decision and action. Based on interviews with 22 white middle-cla ss midwives in the United States conducted between 1992 and 1993, this article explores the inner knowing that constitutes a primary source of authoritative knowledge for homebirthers but is granted no authorit y in the realm of technomedicine. The purpose of this article is to ca ll attention to these midwives' utilization of and reliance on intuiti on as a guide to action. and decision making during homebirths. The mi dwife-interviewees are highly literate and competent in technological skills and biomedical diagnosis, and are keenly aware of the cultural and legal risks they run when they cannot justify their actions during a birth in logical, rational terms. Nevertheless, the deep value they place on connection, in the context of their holistic model of birth and health care, leads them to listen to and follow their ''inner voic e'' during birth, rather than operating only according to protocols an d standard parameters for ''normal birth.'' The nature of intuition an d the reasons for and consequences of the general devaluation of intui tive thinking by the wider society are also considered.