Multiple subjectivities and technology of power in state medicalization of maternal and child health program in Borkaew Subdistrict, Samoeng District, Chiang Mai Province
Abstract:
The development of state governance has gradually shifted from coercive power to a more subtle form of control, one that relies on modern medical knowledge as a mechanism to manage the population. This process, known as the medicalizing state, aims to produce efficient labor and promote national economic growth. Within this framework, the body of the citizen becomes the central focus of analysis and disciplinary organization. This research examines the promotion of maternal and child health under the medicalizing state by exploring the 1,000 Days Plus to 2,500 Days Miracle Project implemented in Borkaew Subdistrict, Samoeng District, Chiang Mai Province. The study aims to (1) analyze how micro-level technologies of power operate in governing family and child health, and (2) examine how parents manage their bodies within the context of biopolitics and construct multiple subjectivities. This study employs qualitative methodology, using in-depth interviews and participant observation. The primary data sources include parents and families participating in the project, local health officers, village health volunteers, and relevant actors at the subdistrict level. Data were analyzed using the concepts of the medicalizing state, bio-power, and multiple subjectivities to explain the dynamics of health governance. The study finds two key results: First, the 1,000 Days Plus to 2,500 Days project functions as a crucial mechanism through which the state governs maternal and child health by applying medical knowledge to regulate and discipline health behaviors. This governance is implemented through village health volunteers and local health officials, who play vital roles in producing truth regimes regarding proper health practices. These actors act as micro-technologies of power that disseminate health knowledge and encourage compliance with state standards. However, the study also reveals that, in practice, these officials must navigate local social and cultural limitations. As a result, implementation varies, shaped by negotiation, adaptation, and localized practices that deviate from the states top-down expectations, highlighting the multiplicity of subjectivities and the dynamic nature of power. Second, while the project is designed to regulate maternal and child health, many parents develop alternative approaches by integrating local knowledge with biomedical practices. Parents and families do not respond uniformly to state recommendations. Some comply, while others adapt or selectively adopt guidelines based on their economic and social contexts. The study finds that families often operate within overlapping practices and fluid subject positions, reflecting diverse modes of self-governance. This demonstrates that biopolitics governance cannot fully control the population, as individuals actively negotiate, reinterpret, and construct their own subjectivities in response to or in resistance against state health agendas.