dr. W. (Winny) Koster
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Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Programme group: Anthropology of Health, Care and the Body
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Nieuwe Achtergracht
166
1018 WV Amsterdam
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W.Koster@uva.nl
My work and interests
I obtained my master degree in anthropology at the
Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) in 1983 with a thesis on
social aspects of leprosy in Sarawak , Malaysia . After that I
worked for 16 years in health development programmes, mainly in
Africa , for the World Health Organization, Dutch government,
and NGOs. My PhD dissertation (at the UvA in 2003) called
'Secret strategies; women and abortion in Yoruba society,
Nigeria' is based on a three-year applied research project on
abortion and other fertility regulation practices which
explored socio-cultural, economic and service related factors
influencing the high prevalence of unsafe abortion and abortion
death. The book pays attention to motivations why single and
married women resort to practices they know are a risk to their
health and life.
Since 2002 I lecture at the UvA mainly in medical anthropology
and health and development studies - in the study year
2009/2010 being the coordinator for the bachelor modules Aids
& Anthropology andHealth & Development.
My field of interest and expertise is sexual and reproductive
health, including HIV and AIDS, and applied research. I keep in
touch with the health development field by consultancies: since
2006 in applied research for the STOP AIDS NOW! project
'Managing HIV and AIDS in the workplace' in NGOs in South
India, Uganda and Ethiopia . (the picture shows me with two
volunteer community workers in a home-based-care for AIDS
patients project of one of the Ethiopian NGOs - Mary Joy Aid
through Development).
In September 2009 I started developing a (completely new to
me) research project on 'Care for dependent elderly in Greece
'.
Publications and reports
1994
• Maternal health, who cares? Research report. (co-author)
Mongu: Primary health care program Western Province /
Provincial Health Office, Zambia.
1995
• Unplanned pregnancies - causes and effects. Research
report. Mongu: Primary health care program Western Province and
Provincial Health Office, Zambia.
• The maternal health programme in Western Province,
Zambia. The motivating force of research and regular study
days. Report.
1996
• Reproductive health of Nigerian adolescents. Research
report. (co-author) Lagos: Society for Family Health.
1998
• Emergency contraception in Nigeria. Research report.
(co-author) Lagos: Society for Family Health.
• 'Why resort to illegal abortion in Zambia? Results of a
community based study.' Social Science and Medicine 46(10):
1303-1312.
• 'Olorun a shi e ni inu - God will open your womb.'
Medische Antropologie, 10(2): 43-58.
1999
• 'Infertility among Yoruba women: Perceptions on causes,
treatments and consequences.' African Journal of Reproductive
Health 3(1): 13-26.
2000
• Fertility regulation among the Yoruba. Lagos: Adetayo
Printing Press.
2001
• Involving traditional birth attendants in the prevention
of unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted
diseases and HIV/AIDS. Project report.
2003
• Secret strategies. Women and abortion in Yoruba society,
Nigeria. Amsterdam: Aksant.
2005
• Taking responsibility, Why, for whom, for what and how. A
study of HIV & AIDS workplace policies among and for
Share-Net member organizations. Amsterdam: Share-Net.
Links
2009
- W. Koster (2009). Keeping secrets, lying, and strategic disclosure: reflections on the imperative to disclose one’s HIV-positive status. In S. van der Geest & M. Tankink (Eds.), Theory and action: essays for an anthropologist (pp. 99-104). Amsterdam: AMB.