Disrupting Master Narratives of Homelessness: Counternarratives of Mothers Without Homes on Life, Motherhood, and Education

• In Event: Listening for Methodology

Abstract

The goal of this study is to explore narratives of mothers without homes with young children on life, education, and motherhood. Specifically, this study focuses on how mothers without homes use small stories as counter-narratives to contest the imposed negative images on families without homes. Life history interviews of two mothers were drawn from a qualitative case study over a 4-month period. Data was analyzed using discourse analysis and the perspective of small stories paying attention to tensions and conflicts between the master narrative and their small stories. Findings show that the mothers not only recounted their daily struggles but also challenged the ideological nature of their experiences and strived to reconstruct their identities as mothers through their stories.

Authors

• Minjeong Kim, University of Massachusetts - Lowell

• Rosie Emerson, University of Massachusetts - Lowell

• Jessica Gott, University of Massachusetts - Lowell

• Cynthia McHaleHendricks

• Andrea Mooney, Reading School District

• Jill Ramey, Methuen Public Schools

• Heather Rowlings, Framingham Public Schools

• Bernadette Stockwell

• Christina Teresa Whittlesey, Chelmsford Public Schools