Professor Benedetta Cappellini benedetta.cappellini@durham.ac.uk
Professor
Intensive mothering in hard times: Foucauldian ethical self-formation and cruel optimism
Cappellini, Benedetta; Harman, Vicki; Marilli, Alessandra; Parsons, Elizabeth
Authors
Vicki Harman
Alessandra Marilli
Elizabeth Parsons
Abstract
Discourses of intensive mothering now seem to dominate European and American parenting cultures. This is a problem for those mothers who do not currently possess the resources to match up. In a study of Italian and British mothers who are experiencing low or reduced incomes, we observe the ways in which they internalize intensive mothering discourses through a process of ethical self-formation. This mode of self-formation involves detailed self-surveillance and self-discipline and abnegation of their own needs in place of other individual family members, and the family as a whole. We find a series of contradictory emotional effects which generate both pride and self-worth but also stress and anxiety. We advance the theory that mothers operate within an optimistic affective regime to make sense of these contradictory effects and retain a sense of agency and control over their lives and those of their families. However, drawing on Berlant’s concept of cruel optimism, we argue that such affective regimes may be very pernicious in their effects, only serving to hold mothers in a relation that is ultimately impassable and often unfulfilling.
Citation
Cappellini, B., Harman, V., Marilli, A., & Parsons, E. (2019). Intensive mothering in hard times: Foucauldian ethical self-formation and cruel optimism. Journal of Consumer Culture, 19(4), 469-492. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469540519872067
Journal Article Type | Article |
---|---|
Online Publication Date | Sep 16, 2019 |
Publication Date | Nov 30, 2019 |
Deposit Date | Oct 10, 2019 |
Publicly Available Date | Oct 23, 2019 |
Journal | Journal of Consumer Culture |
Print ISSN | 1469-5405 |
Electronic ISSN | 1741-2900 |
Publisher | SAGE Publications |
Peer Reviewed | Peer Reviewed |
Volume | 19 |
Issue | 4 |
Pages | 469-492 |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1177/1469540519872067 |
Public URL | https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1283213 |
Related Public URLs | http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/850726/ |
Files
Accepted Journal Article
(778 Kb)
PDF
Copyright Statement
Cappellini, Benedetta, Harman, Vicki, Marilli, Alessandra & Parsons, Elizabeth (2019). Intensive mothering in hard times: Foucauldian ethical self-formation and cruel optimism. Journal of Consumer Culture 19(4): 469-492. Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). DOI: 10.1177/1469540519872067
You might also like
Acculturating again: Taiwanese migrants’ enduring COVID-19 coping paradox in the UK
(2023)
Journal Article
Epistemic in/justice: towards 'Other' ways of knowing
(2022)
Journal Article
Primary School Children’s Responses to Food waste at School
(2022)
Journal Article
Meal for Two: A Typology of Co-performed Practices
(2021)
Journal Article
Downloadable Citations
About Durham Research Online (DRO)
Administrator e-mail: dro.admin@durham.ac.uk
This application uses the following open-source libraries:
SheetJS Community Edition
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
PDF.js
Apache License Version 2.0 (http://www.apache.org/licenses/)
Font Awesome
SIL OFL 1.1 (http://scripts.sil.org/OFL)
MIT License (http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.html)
CC BY 3.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Powered by Worktribe © 2024
Advanced Search