Catholic girls: the mother–daughter nexus

Abstract

This paper examines Catholic girlhood, womanhood and the mother–daughter relationship, and its socio-historical construction within a range of disparate discourses. The aim of the paper is to deconstruct dominant patriarchal constructions and images of femininity, particularly those embedded within the doctrine of Catholicism. Moreover, the paper intends to reveal traces of maternal connections and relations which are often hidden by more dominant discourses. Rather than providing a historical account of Catholic girlhood, the object is to tell a perspectived story of the local and contextual experiences of growing up and being educated to be a ‘good Catholic woman’ in suburban Melbourne, Australia in the 1920s and 1960s. In telling the story it is hoped that other women can momentarily engage with this narrative of Catholic girlhood and the mother–daughter relationship.

Keywords:

• post-structural theory
• psychoanalysis
• cultural studies
• femininities
• religious education
• pedagogy

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Erratum

Notes

I realise that not all the women in this study would name themselves as ‘Catholic’. I use the term in reference to their Catholic education and upbringing. All names have been changed except for familial names.