ABSTRACT
Here we delve into the qualitative material to explore how parents raise children and transmit cultural and political repertoires. The high cultural homogeneity of couples helps to explain their intimacy or inner circle, structured by emotions where political socialisation takes place. These affective settings (family, school, and residential environment) play a crucial role in defining what is and what is not seen and understood as political among ‘us’. These contexts are key in providing repertoires and dispositions that allow, restrict, or rule out the areas in which individuals can get involved – or not – within democratic societies. We start by analysing the ways in which these mothers see themselves raising children in an era that they perceive as more demanding and challenging. We argue that this unease with the nature of today's mothering conveys a sense of partial discomfort with social change, and we consider that current mothering requires from them aspects that were formerly absent from the parental role, or that were largely carried out by domestic employees. We analyse particular subjectivities that derive from these different mothering practices: ideas of children as happy and free individuals, conscious citizens and good people, and successful students and professionals.
