Motherhood and Feminism Seal Studies

by Kinser, Amber E

• ISBN13: 9781580052702
• ISBN10: 1580052703
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-04
• Publisher: Seal Press

Summary

How does feminism relate to motherhood, how has it changed over time, and what does the future of motherhood and feminism look like? 

These are just some of the questions Amber E. Kinser, PhD, tackles in this latest addition to the Seal Studies Series. Motherhood and Feminism examines the role of feminism within motherhood—a topic that has garnered a lot of attention lately as society shifts to adapt to new definitions of these roles—and offers insight into the core questions of motherhood: what it means to be a good mother, what role mothers play in the family and in society, and how motherhood has been redefined throughout time. 

Kinser also speculates on the future directions of feminism—focusing on the expansion of contemporary mother activism that has occurred in the last 15 years, and emphasizing the need for that expansion to continue—and examines how the changing world of motherhood fits into feminist activism.

Author Biography

Amber E. Kinser is a professor of communication and the Director of Women’s Studies at East Tennessee State University. She holds a PhD in communication with an emphasis in gender and family studies from Purdue University, an MA from the University of South Florida emphasizing relationship communication and performance studies, and a BA from the University of South Florida emphasizing speech communication. She teaches courses on gender, social change, family communication, and feminism.

Kinser's research interests include feminism and motherhood, family interaction, sex communication, and third wave feminism; she is editor of Mothering in the Third Wave. Her writing on feminism and mothering has appeared in the Journal for the Association for Research on Mothering, Feminist Mothering, Mother Knows Best: Talking Back to the Experts, and the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Mothering and Being and Thinking as an Academic Mother. Her work on third wave feminism (National Women’s Studies Association Journal) has been widely cited.

Kinser has authored articles and chapters on gender issues at work, global feminism, and family sex communication; she also is a communication skills consultant. Her talks and workshops have focused on two areas: motherhood and gender & communication differences. Her next projects are to create webinars and write a momoir. She is the mother of a late-teen daughter and a pre-teen son.