Transforming Motherhood: “We've Come a Long Way,” Maybe

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Notes

Deborah Borisoff (Ph.D., New York University, 1981) is Professor in the Department of Culture and Communication at New York University. Correspondence to: 239 Greene Street, Suite 735, New York, NY 10003, USA. [email protected]

[1] This review essay emerges from observations, over time, of undergraduate and graduate students; thus this population, in particular, drives its focus. Douglas and Michael's The Mommy Myth covers in rich detail the entire landscape of transformations of motherhood from the 1970s forward and is not limited by class or educational background. The breadth of their work, therefore, extends beyond the scope of this essay.

[2] De Marneffe's exploration of maternal desire is deeply psychological in its orientation. While this review essay does not purport to examine the psychological causes that have led to the devaluing of the act of mothering in U.S. culture, her work is of particular interest to those concerned with how our culture has bought into this devaluation and the arguments she makes to reclaim and reassert its value.

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Notes on contributors

Deborah Borisoff

Deborah Borisoff (Ph.D., New York University, 1981) is Professor in the Department of Culture and Communication at New York University. Correspondence to: 239 Greene Street, Suite 735, New York, NY 10003, USA. [email protected]