A woman's work : reclaiming the radical history of mothering / Elinor Cleghorn.
"Mothers make history. But what it has meant for mothers to do the physical and emotional work of mothering has, for centuries, been neglected in the stories of the past. Patriarchal control of motherhood has relegated the acts of growing, birthing, nurturing and loving to the sidelines, and deemed it unimportant, women's work. Now, through the voices of the women themselves, Elinor Cleghorn reclaims and retells the history of motherhood, showcasing the mothers, othermothers, midwives, activists, community leaders and more who have shaped the course of history. Beginning in the ancient world, we encounter a figurine made for a childbirth ritual over three-thousand years ago. We meet extraordinary writers and poets, like Anne Bradstreet and Elizabeth Jocelin, who were expressing their innermost feelings about motherhood. During the seventeenth century, in the streets of London we encounter unmarried mothers struggling against stigma and shame, and the women who strove to help them. Later, pioneers like Mary Wollstonecraft laid the intellectual foundations for the liberation of motherhood from male control, and the abhorrent treatment of enslaved mothers was brought to public attention by courageous activists like Sojourner Truth. These and many other brave characters lobbied for mothers of all classes and circumstances to be valued, respected, and supported - not as reproductive vessels, but as people. A Woman's Work is a powerful, inspiring, and ground-breaking new history." -- Provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780593472705
- ISBN: 0593472705
- Physical Description: 405 pages ; 24 cm
- Publisher: New York, NY : Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, [2026]
- Copyright: ©2026
Content descriptions
- Bibliography, etc. Note:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 329-389) and index.
- Formatted Contents Note:
- Introduction -- Part 1. Traces and rituals : ninth century BCE to fourth century CE -- 1. The hidden ones -- 2. What women knew -- 3. Bring it to birth -- 4. Blessed among women -- Part 2. Faith and fortitude : ninth to sixteenth century -- 5. Fragile labors -- 6. Lying-in -- 7. Unnatural -- Part 3. Care and conviction : seventeenth to eighteenth century -- 8. Tender regard -- 9. Quickening spirit -- 10. Want of care -- Part 4. Resistance and reclamation : eighteenth century to present -- 11. Twist to a knot -- 12. None but a mother -- 13. Enlightened -- 14. Women's work -- 15. An intimate history -- Conclusion: Mothering through it all.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Motherhood > History.
Mothers > Social conditions.
Women > Social conditions. - Genre:
- Informational works.
Available copies
- 14 of 18 copies available at NC Cardinal. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Brown Library System.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 18 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| George H. & Laura E. Brown Library | 306.874 Cle (Text) | 30308101381250 | Adult New Nonfiction | Available | - |
