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Demeter
Press is pleased to announce the release of:
INTENSIVE
MOTHERING: THE CULTURAL CONTRADICTIONS OF MODERN MOTHERHOOD
Edited
by Linda Rose Ennis
To celebrate the
twentieth anniversary of Sharon Hays' landmark book, The Cultural
Contradictions of Motherhood, this collection will revisit Hays'
concept of "intensive mothering" as a continuing, yet
controversial representation of modern motherhood. In Hays' original
work, she spoke of "intensive mothering" as primarily being
conducted by mothers, centered on children's needs with methods informed
by experts, which are labour-intensive and costly simply because children
are entitled to this maternal investment. While respecting the important
need for connection between mother and baby that is prevalent in the
teachings of Attachment Theory, this collection raises into question whether
an over-investment of mothers in their children's lives is as effective a
mode of parenting, as being conveyed by representations of modern
motherhood. In a world where independence is encouraged, why are we still
engaging in "intensive motherhood?"
"This volume
revisits Sharon Hay's groundbreaking work to productively re-examine her
contributions in light of changing cultural discourse about motherhood in
21st century Western cultures. Focusing on a breadth of topics by
examining the complexities of motherhood from various perspectives, Intensive
Mothering demonstrates with keen insight how this ideology has been
reinforced, revised, and challenged in relation to women's evolving
relationships to work and family. The volume also adds nuance to the field
of motherhood studies by accounting for how consumerism and capitalism
have complicated expectations and identities of motherhood and mothering
in the last two decades."
-Jennifer L. Borda,
Associate Professor of Communication, The University of New Hampshire
"Without
question this topic is highly significant and important. Given the
predominance of intensive mothering ideology defining 'good motherhood'
in North America, it is absolutely crucial to critique and assess what
this means for mothers, children, families and North American
society."
-Melinda Vandenbeld
Giles, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Editor, Mothering
in the Age of Neoliberalism
"In this text,
Dr. Linda Ennis has compiled a thorough and thought-provoking array of
articles examining how the dictates of intensive mothering have become
the predominant ideology disciplining contemporary mothers. This text is
a must read for anyone wishing to gain a more in-depth understanding of
the emotional, physical, financial, and psychological consequences of
mothering intensively by both the individual and Western society at
large."
-Tanja Tudhope,
Producer and Maternal Scholar
Dec. 2014
/ $34.95 / ISBN 978-1-927335-90-1 / 6 x 9 / 343 pp.
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