Motherhood is the focus of much public scrutiny, situated as it seems to be at the frontier of processes of social order and change. Much has been written about the difficulties of mothering in a context of ever-expanding expert advice, as well as apparently increasing expectations that the mother-child bond be cultivated through intensive care-giving. .This study returns to neglected sociological questions concerning the connections between agency and normative complexity, through the pragmatist interpretation it offers of the recognitiondynamics shaping this deeply contested and emotionally fraught role. Drawing on qualitative interviews with forty mostly middle-class mothers across the UKand US, this book offers a three-party typology of the coping strategies women adopt. The various combinations of expressivism, instrumentalism and pragmatism taken up by respondents as they go about asserting normative authority andseeking esteem for the competence and quality of their mothering, provides the focus of attention. INDICE: Acknowledgements .Introduction .Modernity, Normativity and Recognition .Motherhood's Normativity .Authentic Motherhood: Expressive Individualism.Choosing Motherhood: Rational Planning .Balancing Acts: Maternal Pragmatism .Conclusion .Notes .Appendix 1: Participant Information .References .Index .
- ISBN: 978-0-230-57930-9
- Editorial: Palgrave Macmillan
- Encuadernacion: Cartoné
- Páginas: 192
- Fecha Publicación: 13/04/2012
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Desconocido