In (M)other Words: Writings on Mothering and Motherhood, 2009-2024

by Andrea O'Reilly

Overview

Dr. Andrea O' Reilly is internationally recognized as the founder of Motherhood Studies (2006) and its subfield Maternal Theory (2007), and creator of the concept of Matricentric Feminism, a feminism for and about mothers (2016) and Matricritics, a literary theory and practice for a reading of mother-focused texts (2021). With this collection O' Reilly continues the conversation on the meaning and nature of motherhood initiated by Adrienne Rich in Of Woman Born close to fifty years ago. In In (M)other Words, O' Reilly shares 25 of her chapters and articles published between 2009-2024 to examine the oppressive and empowering dimensions of mothering and to explore motherhood as institution, experience, subjectivity, and empowerment. The collection considers the central themes and theories of motherhood studies including normative motherhood, feminist mothering, maternal regret, matricentric pedagogy, young mothers, academic motherhood, matricentric feminism, matricritics, motherhood and feminism, the motherhood memoir, the twenty-first-century motherhood movement, mothers and daughters, mothers and sons, pandemic mothering, and the motherline.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772585285
Publisher:	Demeter Press
Publication date:	04/30/2024
Sold by:	INDEPENDENT PUB GROUP - EPUB - EBKS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	536
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Dr. Andrea O' Reilly is internationally recognized as the founder of Motherhood Studies (2006) and its subfield Maternal Theory (2007), and creator of Matricentric Feminism, a feminism for and about mothers (2016) and Matricritics, a literary theory and practice for a reading of mother-focused texts (2024). She is co-editor/editor of thirty plus books on many motherhood topics. Dr. Andrea O' Reilly is internationally recognized as the founder of Motherhood Studies (2006) and its subfield Maternal Theory (2007), and creator of Matricentric Feminism, a feminism for and about mothers (2016) and Matricritics, a literary theory and practice for a reading of mother-focused texts (2024). She is co-editor/editor of thirty plus books on many motherhood topics.

Table of Contents

forthcoming 2025. Foreword, Fiona Joy Green Introduction TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Thinking Through Matricentric Feminism: Interview with Andrea O'Reilly in Riga, Latvia 26.01.2024., with Zita Karkla 2. Interview: Dr. Andrea O' Reilly and the Motherhood Perspective, with Maria Elizabeth P. Souto Maior Mendes and Maria Collier de Mendonç a 3. Matricentric Feminism: A Feminism for Mothers 4. Normative Motherhood: Regulations, Representations, and Reclamations, An Introduction 5. Coming into Being: Mothers on Finding and Realizing Feminism, An Introduction, with Victoria Bailey and Fiona Joy Green 6. The Twenty-First-Century Motherhood Movement 7. Empowered and Feminist Mothering 8. Throwing the Baby out with Bathwater: The Disavowal and Disappearance of Motherhood in 20th and 21st Century Academic Feminism 9. Towards a Literary Theory and Criticism of Matricritics: ?Begin with the mother in her own right? to deliver ?new meanings of motherhood and transform maternal thinking itself.? 10. Maternal Regret 11. Pandemic Mothering, with Fiona Joy Green 12. ?Certainly Not an Equal-Opportunity Pandemic?: COVID-19 and Its Impact on Mothers' Carework, Health, and Employment 13. Feminist Perspectives on Young Mothers and Young Mothering: Reflections on Youth and Mothering, An Introduction, with Deborah Byrd and Joanne Minaker 14. In Search of the Goddess: Creating a Feminist Motherline for Mother-Daughter Connection and Empowerment, with Casey O' Reilly-Conlin 15. ?Have Your Cake and Eat It Too?: Challenging and Changing Normative Gender Roles through Partnerships 16. Across the Divide: Contemporary Anglo-American Feminist Theory on the Mother- Daughter Relationship 17. In Black and White: African American and Anglo American Feminist Perspectives on Mothers and Sons 18. African American Mothering: ?Home is Where the Revolution Is? 19. ?It Saved My Life?: The National Association of Mothers' Centers, Matricentric Pedagogy, and Maternal Empowerment 20. Academic Motherhood in a Post-Second Wave Context: Framing the Conversation, with Lynn O' Brien Hallstein 21. ?I Should Have Married Another Man?; ?I Couldn' t Do What I Do Without Him? Intimate Heterosexual Partnerships and their Impact on Mothers' Success in Academe 22. Literatures in Text and Tradition: Daughter-Centric, Matrilineal, and Matrifocal Perspectives, An Introduction, with Liz Podnieks 23. The Motherhood Memoir and the ?New Momism?: Biting the Hand that Feeds You 24. Feminist Mothering as Maternal Practice: Maternal Authority and Social Acceptability of Children 25. A Conversation About Maternal Thinking, with Sara Ruddick