Consider this, white feminist motherhood has been preoccupied with how motherhood has trapped women whereas black feminist motherhood sees motherhood as a political act of resistance. This is because white mothers take preservation for granted in the dominant white culture. On the other hand, black mothers need to work hard to protect their children, teach their children how to protect themselves, ensure culture is passed on, and heal those around them who missed out on this kind of mothering. White mothers have a history of their lives being narrowed to the home and have consequently focused their fight on getting the choice to work outside the home, whereas black mothers, who were rarely able to indulge the question of whether to work or not, have instead been faced with a consistent struggle to have their femininity even recognised.
Prof Andrea O’Reilly’s latest book, Toni Morrison and Motherhood: A Politics of the Heart sounds like a must-read! O’Reilly has used the persistent presence of mothers in Morrison’s work to illustrate how Morrison develops a view of black motherhood and a framework for maternal tradition radically different to that of white culture. (See Literary Mama for a review of the book). (This is also a good and accessible summary of the main themes – hi Marie).
I think this reframing of motherhood goes a long way towards explaining why mothers might feel feminism has failed them. It is also why Toni Morrison’s quote, on this list of mine, has been such a favourite with mothers. Morrison captures something about the experience of motherhood that few others manage to articulate. The inability to match up maternal desire with maternal empowerment has alienated many mothers (of all racial backgrounds); in the combination of white definitions of motherhood and black definitions lies the true definition of feminist motherhood.
Thanks for the heads up. This looks great!
I’m waiting to get on a conference call (of all things — for me, they are rare), and this: I could not only be me — whatever that was — but somebody actually needed me to be that. This has me weeping.
Another great thing about working from home, I guess.
Yes, it’s a hell of a quote from Morrison isn’t it? I come back to it again and again.
omg, I have just had a spectacularly crap afternoon trying to looking after my daughter and finish a chapter of my thesis so I can present it at a conference and that Toni Morrison made me weep.
As a woman and mother of mixed heritage (I am indigenous) I think I need to read that book.
Yes, obviously Toni Morrison’s books and writings and interviews are specifically about African American people but I, too, thought there was some huge parallels with Aboriginal Australia. The concept of motherhood as political resistance, motherhood as a positive act rather than a negative one explained a lot for me about how feminism in Australia has missed the point so much with Indigenous women.
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