07/05/2026
This Mother’s Day, we’re highlighting three powerful pieces of research that explore the emotional, social, and cultural dimensions of motherhood; from stigma and creativity to memory and museum practice.
Reflections of Former Teenage Mothers: Multigenerational and Enduring Layers of Stigma by Jemma Hamley for Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work (Vol. 37, Issue 3)
A reflective exploration of how women who became mothers as teenagers continue to face layered stigma across their lives; shaped by family, institutions, and social narratives — and how these experiences echo across generations.
“Some Sort of Delightful Horror”: The Maternal Sublime in Creative Academic Mothering by Frances Sullivan‑Rhodes for Limina: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies (Vol. 30, Issue 2)
A creative and theoretical look at the “maternal sublime,” capturing the intense mix of joy, fear, disruption, and inspiration that emerges when academic work and mothering collide.
The Mother Archive: Immersion, Affect and the Maternal in Museum Practice by Rebecca Louise Clarke for Lilith: A Feminist History Journal (Issue 26)
An examination of how museums can evoke the emotional textures of mothering through immersive exhibitions, highlighting the often‑invisible labour, intimacy, and memory embedded in maternal experience.
This week, we honour the many forms of motherhood; lived, remembered, challenged, and reimagined.
Hamley, J. (2025). Reflections of former teenage mothers: Multigenerational and enduring layers of stigma. Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work, 37(3), 75–87. https://hubs.la/Q04b5NfZ0
Sullivan-Rhodes, F. (2025). “Some sort of delightful horror”: The maternal sublime in creative academic mothering. Limina: A Journal of Historical and Cultural Studies, 30(2), 56–61. https://hubs.la/Q04b5N8r0
Clarke, R. L. (2020). The mother archive: Immersion, affect and the maternal in museum practice. Lilith: A Feminist History Journal, (26), 57–79. https://hubs.la/Q04b5QYT0
Introduction: A growing body of literature has highlighted social stigma encountered by teenage mothers. Less is known, however, about ways in which such experiences manifest across time. In this a...