The Pain Mothers Must Never Expose

In this collection, contributors reject the narrative that suggests that the pain of mothers must never be exposed. They allow their pain to wander outside the frame of the requisite pathos; individual pieces reveal pain to be a complex and intersectional practice that encompasses denial and disenfranchisement where pain is birthed and named; disorientation leading to a search for stable ground; destabilization that inspires non-normative mothering; and discovery as an active stance that transforms intergenerational pain. As contributors take up the challenge of unravelling their stories, they reach for a life-sustaining and hopeful shift in consciousness that allows them to listen to what pain has to offer without judgment; to imagine and create a different future for themselves, their children, and the world; and to let go of maternal pain and suffering as a way of being. Readers will be inspired by raw honesty, authenticity, and willingness to embrace story as a gift to self.

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.

A simple argument guides this book: motherhood is the place in our culture where we lodge, or rather bury, the reality of our own conflicts. By making mothers the objects of both licensed idealization and cruelty, we blind ourselves to the world’s iniquities and shut down the portals of the heart. Mothers are the ultimate scapegoat for our personal and political failings, for everything that is wrong with the world, which becomes their task (unrealizable, of course) to repair. Moving commandingly between pop cultural references such as Roald Dahl’s Matilda to insights on motherhood in the ancient world and the contemporary stigmatization of single mothers, Jacqueline Rose delivers a groundbreaking report into something so prevalent we hardly notice. Mothers is an incisive, rousing call to action from one of our most important contemporary thinkers.

Originally published in 1993, this classic piece of literature on adoption has revolutionised the way people think about adopted children. Nancy Verrier examines the life-long consequences of the 'primal wound' - the wound that is caused when a child is separated from its mother - for adopted people. Her argument is supported by thorough research in pre- and perinatal psychology, attachment, bonding and the effects of loss.

"Baby safe haven" laws, which allow a parent to relinquish a newborn baby legally and anonymously at a specified institutional location--such as a hospital or fire station--were established in every state between 1999 and 2009. Promoted during a time of heated public debate over policies on abortion, sex education, teen pregnancy, adoption, welfare, immigrant reproduction, and child abuse, safe haven laws were passed by the majority of states with little contest. These laws were thought to offer a solution to the consequences of unwanted pregnancies: mothers would no longer be burdened with children they could not care for, and newborn babies would no longer be abandoned in dumpsters. Yet while these laws are well meaning, they inadequately address the social injustices that compel abandonment for the very small number of girls and women who abandon their newborns. Advocates of safe haven laws target teenagers, women of color and poor women in particular with safe haven information under the assumption that they cannot offer good homes for their children. Laury Oaks argues that the labeling of certain kinds of women as potential "bad" mothers who should consider anonymously giving up their newborns for adoption into a "loving" home should best be understood as an issue of reproductive justice. Safe haven discourses promote narrow images of who deserves to be a mother and reflect restrictive views on how we should treat women experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.

This proceeding contains selected papers from the National Seminar on "The Role and Strategy of Higher Education through the Results of Research and Community Service Entering the Industrial Age 4.0" which conducted on November 23rd, 2019 in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. This National Seminar was organized by Sari Mulia University, Banjarmasin, Indonesia. This conference accommodates research topics and community service from various aspects such as health, humanities, science and technology. We would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to the invited experts who have provided insights to the participants of this national seminar, as well as the research committee and paper reviewers who have worked hard until there are 95 papers worthy of publication in the NS-UNISM 2019 proceedings. Papers in this proceedings are expected to provide academic benefits, especially in broadening our horizons of understanding in our area of expertise as academics and practitioners. We realize that what we present for this publication is far from perfect. Constructive criticism is welcome for improvement. Finally, I represent the national seminar committee and also on behalf of the Sari Mulia University, Banjarmasin, Indonesia expressing my gratitude for participating and congratulating the publication of the paper in the NS-UNISM 2019. We from the Civitas Academica Sari Mulia University, together with the Committee also want to say thank you so much to all persons who have supported and actively participated in the success of this event. Hopefully this proceeding can be used as a reference in developing academic studies, technology and improving learning activities in the fields of health, humanities, and science and technology. This proceeding contains selected papers from the National Seminar on "The Role and Strategy of Higher Education through the Results of Research and Community Service Entering the Industrial Age 4.0" which conducted on November 23rd, 2019 in Banjarmasin, Indonesia. This National Seminar was organized by Sari Mulia University, Banjarmasin, Indonesia. This conference accommodates research topics and community service from various aspects such as health, humanities, science and technology. We would like to express our appreciation and gratitude to the invited experts who have provided insights to the participants of this national seminar, as well as the research committee and paper reviewers who have worked hard until there are 95 papers worthy of publication in the NS-UNISM 2019 proceedings. Papers in this proceedings are expected to provide academic benefits, especially in broadening our horizons of understanding in our area of expertise as academics and practitioners. We realize that what we present for this publication is far from perfect. Constructive criticism is welcome for improvement. Finally, I represent the national seminar committee and also on behalf of the Sari Mulia University, Banjarmasin, Indonesia expressing my gratitude for participating and congratulating the publication of the paper in the NS-UNISM 2019. We from the Civitas Academica Sari Mulia University, together with the Committee also want to say thank you so much to all persons who have supported and actively participated in the success of this event. Hopefully this proceeding can be used as a reference in developing academic studies, technology and improving learning activities in the fields of health, humanities, and science and technology. Best regards, Dr. Ir. Agustinus Hermino, M.Pd (Vice President III for Resources and Partnerships)