Mothers of Heroes, Mothers of Martyrs: World War I and the Politics of Grief

by Suzanne Evans

Overview

Suzanne Evans finds commonalities between the many images of war mothers - the Canadian Silver Cross mother, the ancient Jewish Maccabean mother of seven martyred sons, the mother of a Palestinian suicide bomber. She compares the lore about mothers of martyrs in the Judeo-Christian, Muslim, and Sikh traditions with stories of World War I Canadian mothers who were depicted in the media as having sacrificed their sons for the sake of civilization, justice, freedom, and God. After the war these mothers were honoured with the Silver Cross medal. Evans argues that, like the mothers of past martyrs, the image of the war-supportive mother in Canada had a powerful influence over public opinion and drew supporters to the cause.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780773577978
Publisher:	McGill-Queens University Press
Publication date:	02/09/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Suzanne Evans is a writer in Ottawa. She holds a PhD in religious studies from the University of Ottawa.

Table of Contents

Illustrations     vii
Preface     ix
Acknowledgments     xi
Introduction: Heroes and Martyrs     3
The Seeds of the Martyrs: Stories of Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Sikh Mothers of Martyrs     14
The Language of Sacrifice: The Voice of Preachers and Artists in World War I     43
"You Are All I Have to Give": War Mothers' Stories, Rewards, and the Other Face of Loss     77
Monuments and Memories: The Mother's Role in the Sad Work of Commemoration     113
Governance of the Gardens of the Dead: War Graves, the Ancient Greeks, and the Need to Remember and to Forget     137
Conclusion: Mothers and Memories     158
Notes     165
Bibliography     191
Index     209