Mothers: Beyond Maternalism

Book Code: 1111018491780

Edited by:- Samita Manna, Sujit Roy, Soumyajit Patra

ABOUT THE BOOK

Mothers are so splendiferous that no one can deny their bio-social presence. Although a mother is always a mother, but motherhood is in reality culturespecfic with respect to different social locations. Then comes the issue of particularism in the study of mothers and motherhood, and the paradigmatic differences between motherhood of the East and the West. Here again language matters as language and reality create each other. So the term matritva in Indic culture cannot easily be equated with the European construct of motherhood. The hermeneutics of motherhood in the context of Indian society should entail the 'feelings' of Indian mothers in dharmic perspective where matritva has got a divine dimension. Thus a unique socio-religious status has been bestowed on mothers in dharmic culture signifying a kind of social agency crossing the limits of usual study of motherhood.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samita Manna, Ph.D, D.Litt. is former Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of Kalyani, West Bengal. She was also former Vice- Chancellor, Sidho-Kanho-Bi rsha University, Purulia, W. B. from 2012 to 2014. Her academic career started in 1979 at the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta and since 1980 she was engaged in teaching in University of Kalyani. She authored a number of books and articles.

Sujit Roy, BSc (Stats), MBA, PhD is a Research Analyst and Management Consultant based in Kolkata, West Bengal. His PhD thesis was on Women Entrepreneurship. He has authored research articles and co-edited books, and has also been a columnist with public interest articles in print media, magazines and news portals. His blog: www.drsujitroy.blogspot.com

Soumyajit Patra, M.A., Ph.D is Professor and Head of the Department of Sociology, SKB University, Purulia, West Bengal. He was former Co-ordinator of the Centre for South Asian Studies, SKB University, West Bengal. He was a former Research Fellow of Cultural Research Institute, Kolkata. He has been actively involved in research, particularly on tribal culture and published a number of papers, and authored and co-edited a few books.

CONTENTS

Preface ...................................................................................................................... 9

List of Contributors ...............................................................................................13

Introduction........................................................................................................... 15

1. Sociology of Motherhood: A Discussion from Feminist Perspective.......................................................45
Aritra Ghosh

2. Hermeneutics of ‘Matritva’: A Study on Motherhood in Indic Culture ..............................................................57
Sujit Roy

3. An Exploration on Motherhood in Narratives of Ramayana ...................................................................63
Anushua Roy

4. Motherhood of Kunti .....................................................73
Samita Manna

5. Decoding the Concept of ‘Mother’: Observations on Nadiara Incidence of Purulia, West Bengal .................................................................................85
Soumyajit Patra

6. Diversity of Motherhood in the Animal Kingdom: An Explanatory Note on Rattle Snake (Crotalus SP)......91
C. K. Manna

7. Consumerism, Gender Personality and the Reproduction of Mothering ..................................................107
Biswajit Ghosh, Kaushik Chattopadhyay

8. The Reproduction of Mothering: Portraying the Notion of Mothering as a Science ...............................119
Soumya Narayan Datta

9. Challenges of Single Motherhood ................................129
Pankaj Kumar

10. Rights of Motherhood for Maintenance under the Hindu Personal Law: A Critical Analysis ............143
Sadhna Gupta

11. Queering Motherhood: Beyond the Biological Interpretation ..........................................................155
Reshmi Chakraborty

12. Experiencing ‘Motherhood’ and the Challenges of the Eunuchs ......................................................167
Dibakar Bera

13. Role of a Mother in Shaping the Life of a Child with Special Needs .............................................179
Kaynat Kenukhan

14. Anxiety of Mothers about Their Children’s Education Primarily in English Medium Schools.............189
Soumik Bhattacharjee, Abhra Chanda

15. Motherhood: Working Mothers’ and Grandparents’ Role in Childcare ...........................................197
Tania Upadhaya

16. Motherhood: Beyond Gender- A Study among the Birhor, Souria Paharia and Mal Paharia of Jharkhand ... 205
Rimi Sarkar, Samita Manna

17. Homeless and Helpless: A Glimpse on Rohingya Mothers ........................................................................ 217
Suchismita Majumder

18. Motherhood: Challenges Faced by the Sex Workers........................................................................239
Atulita Banerjee

19. I am a Mother too: Motherhood among the Prostitutes of Kalighat .................................................. 249
Sajal Sammadder

Index ................................................................................... 257