A pleasurable and painful space: beyond maternity and motherhood

Petersson Martin, Kirsten Audrey (2012) A pleasurable and painful space: beyond maternity and motherhood. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (4MB)

Abstract

In order to better understand the complex interrelationship between maternity, society, power, and desire, I propose a new framework for the study of maternity and motherhood: maternal space. "Maternal space" is a trialectical space-based analysis drawn from Soja's Thirdspace. In this thesis it is used in conjunction with a Kristevan understanding of the abject and the Barthesian plaisir/jouissance construct, in order to emphasise the importance of taking pleasure and desire into account. -- Giving the concepts of desire and pleasure primacy allows the researcher to analyse maternal space without relying on arbitrary designations of who has agency and who does not. This thesis outlines a theoretical framework with the potential to analyse maternal practices and beliefs without claims of empowerment, and uses my own fieldwork as a practical application of this approach.

Actions (login required)

View Item