Demeter Press is seeking submissions for an edited collection – The Mother-Blame Game – co-edited by Vanessa Reimer and Sarah Sahagian. The deadline for abstracts is Dec. 15 with the publication date set for 2015.
This anthology will bring together essays from feminist activists and academics alike to explore the phenomenon of mother blame (and resistance to it) in the 21st century from a feminist/empowered mothering standpoint. The goal of this collection is to create an interdisciplinary examination of the many ways in which mother blame and mother shame intersect and manifest in contemporary discourse and relationships. Academic and creative submissions are welcome.
Topics can also include (but are not limited to):
Mother blame in/referring to: academia, media (film, television, blogs, literature, news etc.), public policy, matrophobia, young mothers, teen moms, old mothers, welfare moms, queer mothers, lesbian mothers, transgender mothers, bisexual mothers, asexual mothers, foster mothers, other mothers, community mothering, racialized mothers, black mothers, Chicana mothers, Aboriginal/Indigenous mothers, Asian mothers, Tiger Mothers, South Asian mothers, religious mothers, Muslim mothers, Christian mothers, Buddhist mothers, Mormon mothers, Mennonite mothers, Amish mothers, biological mothers who give their children up for adoption, mothers who adopt their children or single mothers.
Other options include: working mothers, stay-at-home mothers, the “mommy wars”, step-mothering, surrogate mothers, reproductive tourism, child-free women, working-class mothers, upper-/middle-class mothers, legally “unfit” mothers, men who perform mother-work; challenging/co-opting mother blame, matroreform, mothers and daughters, mothers and sons, self-identified “bad mothers”, mothers with addictions, mothers with disabilities, breast feeding, sizeism/shaming maternal bodies, postpartum depression, incarcerated mothers, mothers who have killed their children, ethics of mommy blogs, mothering in a global context, mothering and migration, immigrant mothers, mothering in the second-, third- and/or fourth-wave feminist context.
Submission guidelines:
Provide a 250-word abstract along with a 50-word biography (including citizenship information) by Dec. 15. Send submissions and inquiries directly to Sarah Sahagian at sarah.sahagian@gmail.com and Vanessa Reimer at vreim018@yorku.ca.
Successful submissions of 3,000 to 5,000 words are due by June 15, 2014. Contributors are responsible for ensuring that their chapters conform to MLA style. Acceptance is contingent and will depend upon the strength and fit of the final piece.
For more information, visit the Demeter Press website or e-mail info@demeterpress.org.