ABSTRACT
Many movements have been sustained by the labour of mothers. The following traces perspectives on and critiques of maternal activism – from early expressions of maternalism to conceptualizations of activist mothering. While maternal activism has been subject to both celebration and critique, much movement scholarship has approached the analysis of maternal activism from the lens of patriarchal motherhood. Patriarchal motherhood assumes that mothering labour is individualized, biological, “natural,” and apolitical. Thus, it obscures the diversity of traditions, practices, and approaches that constitute mothering labour, as well as the diverse perspectives on who mothers and who can be mothered. This chapter traces notable literature on maternal activism but also calls for deeper engagement with Indigenous, Black, and other racialized motherhood scholars, who have long challenged patriarchal motherhood as a basis from which to approach mothering. Based on the contributions of these and other scholars, it is crucial to consider interlocking systems of oppression and reproductive justice in our conceptualizations of maternal activism. In addition, it is pertinent to deepen our analysis of the gendered implications of maternal activism, particularly as there is an absence of literature on nonbinary mothering or parenting and fathering in the contexts of social movements.
