"This study provides a picture of what it means to be a woman in rural Thailand. As a study on health it concentrates upon the intimacies of women's bodies while simultaneously exploring how experiences of health and illness are shaped by the wider context of the developing Thai state." "Medical anthropologist Andrea Whittaker addresses the broad forces affecting women's health today - gender relations in Thai society, migration and work, the effects of poverty and uneven development. She explains complex theoretical issues using rich ethnographic detail to discuss approaches to the body and embodiment, agency and resistance, the effects of development and modernity." "Intimate Knowledge illustrates the tensions between what is seen as 'traditional' and 'modern' approaches and the ways in which these are understood to align poverty and underdevelopment with ethnic and cultural difference. All these issues are illustrated through chapters covering a wide range of women's health experiences: gynaecological problems, STDs/HIV, family planning and maternity, and the controversy of abortion within a Buddhist nation. Women's voices feature throughout the book, telling the intimacies of their lives and bringing to life the ramifications of broader social forces and policies in Thai society."--Jacket.