Drawing inspiration from Adrienne Rich's seminal book Of Woman Born (1976), in 2006, Andrea O'Reilly coined the term "Motherhood Studies" and established a new interdisciplinary academic field aimed at studying "motherhood" as an institution and "mothering" as an experience. O'Reilly emphasized the importance of adopting a feminist framework designed expressly for mothers: a "matricentric feminism" necessary for an intersectional exploration of motherhood. Within "Motherhood Studies," being or not being a mother matters, and the experience of motherhood is treated as a category alongside gender, class, and race. This panel aims to present new research in Motherhood Studies and Italian-language literature, investigating matrifocal narratives produced in Italian over the last twenty years that engage with maternal theory, activism, or practice, and that work to empower mothers and their communities.
Examples of topics that can fit the matricentric empowerment frame include, but are not limited to: reproductive care and maternal health; the economic conditions of mothering; maternal experiences of environmental injustice; migrant and racialized maternal experiences; the maternal body as a site of political and cultural reclamation. We welcome contributions that make visible the conditions constraining and harming mothers, that confront patriarchal frameworks, and that recognize mothering as a site of agency and authority.

Please, submit your abstract before September 30, 2026 through the following link: https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/22291.