Motherscholars: Creating “Homeplace” in Academia

• In Event: Roundtable Session 38
  In Roundtable Session: Beyond Knowing the Motherscholar: Motherscholars Engaging in Self-Defining Motherscholarship

Abstract

Purpose of the Study:

The purpose of this study is to examine the of an increasing number of motherscholars in academia. Studies have shown that straddling the vastly different institutions of academia and family lead many women scholars to experience a “bifurcated identity” (Nielsen, 1990; Berry, 2006), where life becomes a split struggle in trying to fulfill societal expectations on all fronts. Research also shows that significant numbers of motherscholars entering the academic job market fall through the cracks along tenure lines and the associated expectations (AAUP, 2010). Studies that approach the realities of mothers in academia are still few, partly due to the pressures to conform to the image of the traditional academic, of which being a mother is not a part. Instead of viewing the role of mother as separate from that of an academic and instead of seeing “mothering” responsibilities as a deficit to a career in academia this study focuses on the experiences of 10 tenure-track motherscholars in various academic institutions in the U.S. and beyond, to begin examining the benefits of understanding, acknowledging and supporting the combination of these two traditionally separate identities. How does being a motherscholar enrich experiences in academia? How can the ability to balance both realms be seen as strength rather than weakness? How can we begin to challenge academic hegemony to make space for newly emerging identities and realities? For those concerned, how can we re-conceptualize standards around academic integrity and rigor?

Theoretical Frame:

In an effort to broaden the concept of “motherhood” as an individual experience confined to the private sphere, we situate this study within a framework that sees mothering as a collective practice that brings together aspects of social life that are usually analyzed separately--home life, labor, and knowledge production (Naples, 1992). The study also starts to challenge traditional notions of home where women’s work is under-appreciated and under-theorized. By using theories around “homeplace” (hooks, 1990) and “home-made theory” (Sánchez, 2006), we begin to offer possibilities for motherscholars to create more “home-like” spaces within the academy where dignity, humanity and authenticity can be created and restored.

Methodology:

This qualitative study will utilize testimonios of 10 women faculty who represent an ethnically diverse sample of mother-scholars. Through telling their testimonios, both the individual and collective truths of the mother scholars will be acknowledged and valued, while raising awareness and contributing to a deeper understanding of the issues being explored.

Significance:

This study focuses on the experiences of women who work within the dominant academic paradigm and through their scholarship are shifting the center, making room for the epistemologies of a diverse range of mother-scholars. They provide examples of working, as Baszile (2006) so poignantly states, “in a way that values the pedagogical spaces in between, and thus challenging the hegemonic order of things as usual in the academy” (p. 198).

Authors

• Shabnam Koirala-Azad, University of San Francisco

• Emma H. Fuentes, University of San Francisco