Mobilizing Motherhood: The Use of Maternal Myths in Popular Development Discourse
Keywords:
Development Discourse, Gender and Development, Motherhood, Altruism, Empowerment
Abstract
In this paper, I examine how maternal myths are deployed in popular development literature. Using critical discourse analysis and working within a feminist postcolonial framework I analyse five texts produced by development organizations for popular consumption. I identify how maternal myths are constructed in each text and conduct a contextual analysis of four myths to identify their ideological significance within the development sector. I conclude that that in their construction of maternal myths, these texts, while intended to elicit support for gender and development interventions, reinforce exploitative gender roles and relations and limit women’s experiences of development.
Published
2015-07-27
Section
Articles
The Global Justice Network was founded in 2006. It is an association of scholars aiming to facilitate communication, exchange and debate on global justice. 
Global Justice: Theory Practice Rhetoric (TPR) is a peer-reviewed, open-access e-journal which publishes original research in international political theory, with special emphasis on global justice. We are particularly interested in bridging the gap between political theory, empirical research, and the study of political practices and communication. 
