The twenty-five essays in this book are grouped into two sections, the first written by art historians and the second by artists. Art historians reflect on the work of artists addressing motherhood from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Contributions point to the influence of past generations of artist-mothers, to the inspiration found in the work of maternally-minded literary and cultural theorists, and to attempts to broaden definitions of maternity. Working against a hegemonic construction of motherhood, the contributors discuss complex and diverse feminist mothering experiences, from maternal ambivalence to queer mothering to quests for self-fulfillment. The essays address mothering experiences around the globe, with contributors hailing from North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia.
This book focuses on key themes that reveal how gendered relations, ideologies, and practices shape human bodies. At the same time, it shows how human bodies are linked to other significant axes of inequality based on racial ethnic group, disability, sexuality, class, culture, religion, age, and nation. This second edition incorporates sixteen new selections on such topics as evolution and motherhood: breastfeeding: breast cancer: the effects of height on men: job discrimination and transgendered people: world champion runner Caster Semenya and sex verification: disability, gender, and embodiment: and Palestinian female suicide bombers.