Feminist Mothering in Theory and Practice, 1985-1995: A Study in Transformative Politics

Author: 
Year:
Pages:264
ISBN:0-7734-4709-1
978-0-7734-4709-7
Price:$199.95 + shipping
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Absent from feminist discourse on mothering is a sustained examination of the interconnection between feminism and mothering, and an exploration of the lived realities of women who are mothering as feminists. This book addresses these deficiencies by exploring how particular feminist mothers at the end of the 20th century view motherhood, how they choose to parent from a position informed by that understanding and how their mothering influences their feminism.

Reviews

“. . . Green’s study shows that patriarchal motherhood is not completely oppressive, nor non-negotiable. In it mothers do find room to practice agency, resistance and renewal.” – Prof. Andrea O’Reilly, York University

“It becomes clear that mothering is not a destination but a journey and Green’s use of insights from women who have chosen to be mothers and those who have had motherhood “thrust” upon them is smart, funny, and endearing, without being over-sentimentalized. Because the work is original and the voices so honest, Green invites us into the world of these women and then integrates it smartly with existing feminist literature. Her chapter that details the research methodology works for others wishing to conduct a similar analysis and her literature review is also a rich site for scholars.” – Prof. Shannon Sampert, University of Winnipeg

“Dr. Green does a fine job of blending feminist theory in with the narratives of these women and in demonstrating how many of these mothers interact with their children in ways similar to those advocated by scholars of feminist pedagogy. These important connections give the manuscript a broad grounding within the available feminist literature, but also open the way for scholars to integrate more fully the practices of feminist mothers into academic discourse. Dr. Green’s topic is an important one, the writing is engaging, and the overall impact of the manuscript is to generate optimism about the fact that feminist mothers everywhere are succeeding in reshaping the images which control motherhood into ones that honor the complexity of the work, which will insure greater humanity in its practice.” – Prof. Regina M. Edmonds, Assumption College

Table of Contents

Foreword by Dr. Andrea O’Reilly
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part I: Laying out the Frameworks
1. Situating Feminist Mothering in the Feminist Literature
2. Bringing Feminist Mothers into View
Table 1 – Demographic and Biographical Information of Self-Identified Feminist Mothers
Part II: Making the Connections
3. Understanding Motherhood
4. Consciously Mothering
5. Practicing Feminist Pedagogy
6. Mothering Keeps Feminism Fresh After Word(s)
Appendix A – Advertisement/Call for Participants
Appendix B – Participant Information and Consent Form
Appendix C – Interview Guide
Bibliography
Index

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