This book presents an overview of the experiences and representations of motherhood in India from ancient to modern times. The argument is that the centrality of motherhood as an ideology in a womans life is manufactured. It analyses different structures of society language, religion, law.
Maithreyi Krishnaraj was formerly Director, Research Centre for Womens Studies, SNDT Womens University, Mumbai. With her background in three disciplines economics, sociology and education she did interdisciplinary work in women's studies and is considered a pioneer in developing the subject. She has published widely in national and international journals and taught as Senior Professor in many universities in India and abroad. Some of her major publications are Real Lives and Mythic Models (2000), Between State and Markets (2007), Gender, Food Security and Rural Livelihoods (2008) and Women Farmers of India (2008).
Preface by Veena Poonacha Introduction by Maithreyi Krishnaraj 1.Motherhood, Mothers, Mothering: A Multi-Dimensional Perspective by Maithreyi Krishnaraj 2. Motherhood in Ancient India by Sukumari Bhattacharji 3. In Search of the Great Indian Goddess: Motherhood Unbound by Kamala Ganesh 4. In the Idiom of Loss: Ideology of Motherhood in Television Serials Mahabharata and Ramayana by Prabha Krishnan 5. Representing Nationalism: Ideology of Motherhood in Colonial Bengal by Jasodhara Bagchi 6. Mother, Mother-Community and Mother-Politics in Tamil Nadu by C.S. Lakshmi 7. The Mother in Sane Gurujis Shyamchi Ai by Shanta Gokhale 8. Rites de Passage of Matrescence and Social Construction of Motherhood by Veena Poonacha 9. Motherhood: Different Voices by Divya Pandey 10. Images of Motherhood: The Hindu Code Bill Discourse by Chitra Sinha Note on the Editor Notes on Contributors Index