Matroreform,
a feminist term coined by Canadian psychologist Dr. Gina Wong, is a
psychological, spiritual, cognitive, and emotional reformation of
mothering at an intra- and interpersonal level; is a process by which
mothers reproduce a new way of mothering apart from her motherline; and
it represents an holistic, sociocultural revolution of motherhood at a
global level. As a transformative maternal practice of claiming
motherhood power, this progressive movement to mothering includes new
and empowering motherhood ethos, ideologies, rules, views, and practices
apart from one's motherline and apart from dominant and normative
discourses of the sacrificial and good mother. Adrienne Rich
describes matrophobia as the result of a daughterhood fraught with
witnessing the self-sacrificing, capitulating, and self-denial of the
mother who is trapped in the oppressive bonds of conventional
motherhood. These daughters attempt to extricate themselves from
anything remotely close to their mother, which often includes a fear of
becoming mothers themselves. Instead, through a process of matroreform,
these daughters become mothers and instigate mothering practices and
ideas that are right for them; thereby entering new possibilities of
what it means to mother. Motherlines: Award-winning poet, author,
and Jungian analyst Naomi Ruth Lowinsky notes that our mothers are the
first world we know, the source of our lives and stories, and embody the
mysteries of origin that tie us to the great web of kin and generation.
Motherlines acknowledge the embodied experiences and knowledge/s of
mother/child relationships and the responsibilities, challenges, and
labour involved in motherwork.Motherline stories contain invaluable lessons and memories of mothering, as well as support for mothers.
This
conference will examine the experiences and counter-experiences of
matroreform and motherlines that are enduring, severed, or threadbare.
We will explore the feminist, political, social/cultural, economic,
historical, religious, spiritual, and psychological dimensions of these
topics. We welcome submissions from scholars, academics, students,
artists, mothers, daughters, and others with experience and knowledge in
the areas of matroreform and motherlines. Narratives of experiences as
well as cross-cultural and comparative works are encouraged. We also
encourage a variety of submissions including scholarly papers from all
disciplines, creative submissions, and reflective pieces such as poetry,
narratives, artwork, and performance art.
Topics may include but are not restricted to:
Mothering
daughters, daughtering, motherhood and oppression, sacrificial
mothering, the 'good' mother, empowered mothering, feminist mothering,
queer and transgendered mothering, academic mothering, historical
accounts, narratives of different mothering; disordered eating,
self-esteem and confidence issues, sexual-interference; reproducing
mothering, enacting mothering in bold ways, interplay of religion and
economic impact of matroreform; attachment, adopting and fostering
impact on motherlines, research methods to study matroreform and
motherlines, mothering bodies, embodiment, and material site of maternal
power and oppression; cross-cultural perspectives and experiences of
matroreform/motherlines, bi-cultural identity and motherlines; social
media and technology influence on matroreform; mothering in the
Information Age; mothering over 40; sexual interference; gender socialization; sociocultural influences; interdisciplinary perspectives on matroreform and motherlines; matroreform and mental health, depression and postpartum depression (debate intergenerational and motherline transmission), medicalization
and pathologizing mother's distress; contextualizing mother's
suffering; patriarchy and male-based assumptions of women's experiences;
mother-blame; counselling strategies and approaches in working to
strengthen motherlines and matroreform; ways to counter mainstream ethos
of mothering and motherhood.
Keynote Speakers TBA
If you are interested in being considered as a presenter, please send a
250 word abstract and a 50-word bio by March 15th, 2013 to
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