In "Matricentric Feminism: A Feminism for Mothers," Andrea O'Reilly lays the groundwork for an evolving and adaptable definition of matricentric feminism. O'Reilly points out the need for mothers to have their own school of feminism that encompasses and adds to the previous branches of feminism that have evolved until now (17). "Practicing Matricentric Feminist Mothering," by Fiona Joy Green, adds an additional layer to this movement by exploring what matricentric feminism looks like when it is put into practice. In this conference paper, I would like to explore how graphic memoir authors are reflecting on the tensions between motherhood and feminism and using their art and language to provide examples of the praxis of matricentric feminist mothering. Good Talk, by Mira Jacob, Kid Gloves, by Lucy Knisley, and Dear Scarlet, by Teresa Wong, explore issues surrounding perinatal mood disorders, the treatment of women during and after pregnancy, and the challenges of raising children to be critical thinkers while also trying to keep them safe in a complicated world. I argue that these authors are part of a growing movement of writers using the graphic novel form to advance these concepts.

At the close of the nineteenth century, France bore witness to a burgeoning discourse on women’s bodies, sexuality, and motherhood. Those theories aimed to naturalize women’s maternal instincts and thus constricting their identities to that of mothers. The Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso contributed to this discourse by theorizing the naturalness of motherhood, thereby reinforcing the notion that women were inherently biologically predisposed to be mothers. French naturalist fiction appropriated those discourses in their representation of women and motherhood by putting biological and social determinism to the forefront of women’s destinies. In her novel, Victoire la Rouge, the feminist author Georges de Peyrebrune tells the story of Victoire, a farm maid, and her three illegitimate pregnancies. Influenced by both the naturalist worldview and her feminist convictions, Peyrebrune’s representation of motherhood responds to contemporary discourses that attempt to naturalise maternal roles. Using irony, the author criticizes on society’s idealization of virginity, while Victoire, as comes to see her fertility as a curse rather than the blessing natalist discourses developed. Peyrebrune employs infanticide to radically question the idea of the born mother and denounce the society that pushes women to such extremities. This novel’s historical context bears striking similarities to present-day essentialist and conservative narratives on maternity, and Peyrebrune’s work serves as a compelling example of early feminist resistance. This paper will explore the author’s subversion of fin-de-siècle natalist theories, which sought to prescribe motherhood to women, and instead highlights the profound influence of social forces on women’s lives.

Experience and Exploration: Mother Anyway and MotherNet

In our paper we wish to reflect on achievements and future possibilities for research connected to the interdisciplinary project "Mother Anyway: Literary, Medical and Media Narratives" (Uppsala University, 2017-2020) and the network "MotherNet" (2021-2024). The Uppsala project originated in our conviction that the highly visible themes of motherhood and mothering in contemporary Scandinavian literature, life writing and public debate needed scholarly attention. Literary representations of mother-child relationships, new (and challenging) family constellations and gender identities; narratives of post-partum depression, bibliotherapy, cultural scripts around breast-feeding and mothering - the project covered or initiated research within a wide range of subjects. Much remains to be examined, such as the many autobiographical novels on motherhood which have been published in Sweden in recent years. The cross-disciplinary cooperation between literary and medical sholars can also be expanded in new ways.

The international collaboration "MotherNet" has covered broad areas within the field of Motherhood studies. The cross-disciplinary approach created fruitful opportunities for innovative thinking and collaboration between generations of researchers, as well as challenges related to different methodological and theoretical approaches. In our paper we wish to describe some of the roads taken by the two projects, and furthermore suggest possible expansions and future challenges and goals for Motherhood studies.

This paper results from a sociological study on childbirth activism in different European contexts, that explores the emergence and the modes of action of social movements advocating for the humanization of childbirth and women’s rights in pregnancy and childbirth.

Starting from the analysis of the main characteristics of childbirth activism, this presentation will focus on the cases of southern European organizations, from Portugal and Spain, as well as on public campaigns promoted by the European Network of Childbirth Associations (ENCA). For such, we will mobilize empirical data resulting from a plural methodology, based on documentary analysis, interviews and participant observation in different settings.

As preliminary results, this analysis will show how childbirth activism is contributing to the construction of alternative conceptions of birth, challenging established paradigms. In its differences and similarities, childbirth activism assumes distinct features and abilities to adapt and promote changes, depending on the specificities of the contexts where it operates.