Description
Book SynopsisDescribes the contemporary cultural valorization of the figure of the single mother that has emerged as the unlikely heroic and seductive voice of the American family. Drawing on interviews with many single mothers, and policies on welfare, childcare, and child custody, this book shows the remarkable organizing skills of these new mothers.
Trade ReviewIlluminating cultural study of single motherhood. . . . [Juffer] explores the experiences of single mothers across various social and economic conditions, taking a critical look at current social policy. * Library Journal *
Juffer points to a new formationthe domestic intellectualand in that gesture opens up the concept of the intellectual to a more complicated theoretical engagement. With it, she re-imagines marriage, mothering, and the spatial dynamics of private life, and returns them to a possibly radical and liberatory space. This powerful and transformative work adds to our understanding of the value of learning from ordinary life. -- Wahneema Lubiano,Duke University
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Domestic Intellectuals: Freedom and the Single Mom Part I Keyword: Everyday Life 1 Representing the Single Mom (and Watching TV with Alex) Part II Keyword: Spaces 2 The Corporate University 3 The U.S.-Mexican Border 4 Puerto Rican Chicago Part III Keyword: Ethics 5 Mothers and Sons 6 Choice Conclusion: From Identity Politics to Human Rights Notes Works Cited Index About the Author
