I have been teaching “Introduction to Mother Studies” at the Museum of Motherhood in NY since 2011. My students have been a cross-section of high school age, undergrad and grad-level individuals. We’ve also had some medical students and community members participate. But, I’ve been working on this project in one way or another for the last ten years.

My reasons for enrolling at the Graduate Center are many, but among them I am interested in  developing and expanding this fascinating and provocative field.

As Adrienne Rich wrote in the opening Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution, “We know more about the air we breath, the seas we travel, than about the nature and meaning of motherhood” (11).

Scholars like Dr. Andrea O’Reilly and CUNY’s own Barbara Katz Rothman have inspired me to forge deeper relationships between academia and the general public. Since approximately 82% of the female population go on to have children, and because we are all intimately impacted by the consequences of family, I think this is an area ripe for academic discourse and deep theoretical reflection. How do feminist move their agenda forward in the home and in their private lives?

In March we host the annual academic conference at the museum. I’m pleased that Feminist Press author, Lisa Heineman will there talking about her book Ghostbelly. We’ll also be honoring Feisty Feminists at the first ever MHOF on March 6th with a special performance of Miriam Taub’s “broken motherhood museum” and Hall of Fame induction ceremony. You’re all invited! You just have to RSVP. To find out more about the “Making Motherhood Visible” conference click here, or go to the museum website.

Greatly looking forward to this journey and to being back in school. I’m also looking forward to being part of this community and incorporating lots of research and perspectives into this growing body of work.

Broken Motherhood Museum Performance at the Museum of Motherhood