Making Sense of Motherhood: A Narrative Approach PDF
Preview Making Sense of Motherhood: A Narrative Approach
This page intentionally left blank Making Sense of Motherhood Becoming a mother changes lives in many ways and this original and accessiblebookexploreshowwomentrytomakesenseofandnarrate theirexperiencesoffirst-timemotherhoodintheWesternworld.Tina Millerpayscloseattentiontowomen’sownaccounts,overtime,oftheir experiences of transition to motherhood and shows how myths of motherhood continue because women do not feel able to voice their early (often difficult) experiences of mothering. The book charts the social, cultural and moral contours of contemporary motherhood and engageswithsociological andfeministdebatesonhowselvesarecon- stituted, maintained and narrated. Drawing on original research and narrativetheory,thebookalsoexploresthedisjuncturethatoftenexists between personal experience and public discourse and the cultural dimensionsofexpertknowledge. TINA MILLER is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Oxford Brookes University.Herpublicationsincludejournalarticlesandbookchapters onmothering,reproductivehealth,narrativesandmethodologicalissues inqualitativeresearch.Sheisco-editorofEthicsinQualitativeResearch (withM.Mauthner,M.BirchandJ.Jessop,2002). Making Sense of Motherhood A Narrative Approach Tina Miller Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge , UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521835725 © Tina Miller 2005 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format - ---- eBook (NetLibrary) - --- eBook (NetLibrary) - ---- hardback - --- hardback - ---- paperback - --- paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of s for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Contents Dedica tion page vii Acknowl edgement s viii Introd uction 1 1 The storied huma n life: a na rrative appro ach 6 2 Making sense of mothe rhood : cultural script s 27 3 Setting the Wes tern cont ext: mothe ring in late-mo dern society 46 4 Anticip ating mothe rhood : the antenatal period 66 5 Making sense of early mothe ring experi ences 89 6 A return to no rmal: becom ing the expert 112 7 Conclusi ons an d refl ections: making sense of mothe rhood 138 Refer ences 162 Index 172 v Dedication This book is dedicated to my mother and my three beautiful daughters, Hannah, Freya and Lydia. Their lives so full of promise and potential stretch before them; my hope is that in this uncertain world their journeyswill be peaceful. vii
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