Mammal women: practices of active motherhood

Abstract

The purpose of this project is an anthropological study on the concepts of maternity called active (re) formulated by women who have children and who use blogs - or online diaries - as a vehicle for sharing experiences of motherhood. The hypothesis that will guide this research is that during this process - conducted through the publication of texts and discussions upon them through the feedback tool - mother bloggers build relationships in order to achieve a common identity based on reflections on active maternity. Arising out of the concepts of biopower, by Michel Foucault, and reflexivity, by Anthony Giddens, particularly of the readings that Stuart Hall and Avtar Brah have of what those authors discuss about identity, the question proposed here is up to what extent it is possible to understand these manners of being a mother claimed by these women as expressions of a biopower written on the body of the population or as forms of self-reflection and the pursuit of defining "the self". In addition, one may question what are the implications for feminism and the struggle for gender equality when motherhood, once the ultimate expression of male domination, is (re)valuated by a particular group of women. To this end, this is a qualitative research, and ethnography of mother blogs is privileged as the methodological tool. Ultimately, the aims of this project are to bring up discussions about the relations between motherhood and feminism, as well as contribute to discussions concerning issues of identity and how they are placed in the contemporary world. (AU)