Constructing the (m)other
Dominant and contested narratives on mothering a child with Down syndrome
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12625535 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Priya Lalvani (0000-0003-1670-1867, Montclair State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 276-293 |
| Publication date | 2011-12-26 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Narrative Inquiry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1387-6740 • E-ISSN: 1569-9935 |
| Publisher | John Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1075/ni.21.2.06lal |
| OpenAlex | W2138642605 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 19 |
| References cited | 7 |
This qualitative study explored the ways in which mothers of children with Down syndrome interpreted their experiences of motherhood. The narratives of 19 mothers were analyzed. The findings indicate that their identities as mothers were negotiated in the context of the sociocultural meaning of disability and dominant narratives on motherhood. In institutional and interpersonal discourses, they became positioned as other . Their narratives shed light on their resistance to otherness, their contextualized understanding of mothering a child with Down syndrome, and the ways in which they negotiated access to the constructed category of normative motherhood. The study suggests that a conceptual shift is needed in understanding the familial experience of raising a child with Down syndrome. Moving away from assumptions of negative outcomes for these families, professionals need to acknowledge the embeddedness of their experiences in sociocultural beliefs and practices that devalue children with disabilities
Context (archaeology · Developmental psychology · Embeddedness · Epistemology · Interpersonal communication · Linguistics · Meaning (existential · Narrative · Narrative inquiry · Normative · Psychotherapist · Qualitative research · Resistance (ecology · Social science · Sociocultural evolution · Sociology · Anthropology · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Disability Rights and Representation · Family and Disability Support Research · Gender Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology
Extreme Caregiving
Hard Labor
Down Syndrome as Pure Simulacrum
Mother-teacher-scholar-advocates
Giving Care a Platform
Becoming, belonging, and the fear of everything Black
(Be)Longing
Parenting a child with an intellectual disability
The enforcement of normalcy in schools and the disablement of families
A test of faith? Attitudes of ultraorthodox Jewish parents of children with down syndrome toward prenatal testing
Prenatal Genetic Screening, Epistemic Justice, and Reproductive Autonomy
Shatter Not the Branches of the Tree of Anger
I really need a mom right now”
Acts of resistance
Motherhood in the Context of Normative Discourse
Multiple selves
Risk, responsibility, resistance
Motherhood and highly sensitive children in an online discussion forum
Family Sense-Making After a Down Syndrome Diagnosis
| Unique citing works | 19 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,58 |
| Citation span | 2014 - 2024 (11) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 19 |