Mothering in Marginalized Contexts

This book provides a rare and in-depth examination of the narratives, experiences, and lived realities of abused mothers a group of women who, despite being the victims, are often criticized, vilified, and stigmatized for failing to meet dominant ideologies of what a good mother is/should be, because they have lived and mothered in domestic abuse relationships. Based on a qualitative research study conducted with 29 abused mothers residing in abused women's shelters in Calgary, Alberta, this book highlights the ways that these mothers experience the dominant ideology of intensive mothering, negotiate the resulting discourses of the good and the bad mother, and ultimately find ways to exercise agency, resistance, and empowerment in and through their mothering.