When the traditional midwife is a man : reimagining traditional midwifery in Laos and globally Traditional midwives : cross-cultural perspectives /Hancart Petitet, Pascale In the late 19th century, the WHO made three recommendations based on the belief that biomedicine could prevent most maternal deaths, one of which was to train traditional midwives, also known as traditional birth attendants (TBAs). However, after years of debate, WHO officially discontinued TBA training programs in 2004 (WHO/ICM/FIGO 2004). While maternal mortality rates have decreased in many places due to the implementation of capacity-building programs and caregiver training, women in remote rural areas or in vulnerable settings still rely on traditional midwives. What happens when the traditional midwife is a man? This chapter aims to investigate the biographical facts and the historical and social changes that have led some men in Laos, including husbands, to take on the roles of traditional midwives and to analyze the effects of this appropriation. The reflections provided in this chapter are based on both long-term engagements with traditional midwives and on intensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Laos since 2013. Routledge Davis-Floyd, R. (ed.) Daviss, B.A. (ed.) Ali, I. (ed.) 2025 text https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010098093 fdi:010098093 Hancart Petitet Pascale, . When the traditional midwife is a man : reimagining traditional midwifery in Laos and globally. In : Davis-Floyd R. (ed.), Daviss B.A. (ed.), Ali I. (ed.), . Traditional midwives : cross-cultural perspectives Routledge, 2025, 20 EN LAOS