Demeter Press is seeking submissions for an edited collection of Mothers and Motherhood in the Spanish-Speaking World. Publication Date: 2015.

Submission Guidelines: Please submit abstracts of 250 words and include your 50 word bio and country of origen/citizenship.

Traditional representations of motherhood in Spanish-speaking countries have favoured the image of the selfless, abnegated mother, totally devoted to her children. As a woman whose entire life was at the service of others, she was supposed to find fulfillment in caring for and supporting her family. Modelled after the Virgin Mary, this idealized maternal role dominated, with regional differences, the Spanish and Latin American imaginary for centuries. Marianismo, the cultural expression of this ideological position, demonstrates the pervasiveness of the Marian cult in Latin America, where the dichotomy Virgin/Whore described by Octavio Paz has played a key role in imposing normative maternal values. Nonetheless, during the last two decades new maternal configurations have emerged in literature, comics, cinema, music, and art. This collection seeks to examine counter-hegemonic discourses that stand in stark or seeming opposition to traditional representations. The editors seek article-length contributions from scholars from a variety of disciplines, including literature, cinema, music and popular culture in general.

Deadline for Abstracts is February 1, 2013.
Please send submissions and inquiries directly to:
Marina Bettaglio (bettagli@uvic.ca) and Cándida Elizabeth Vivero Marín (elizabeth_vivero@hotmail.com)

Articles may examine (but are not limited to) the following topics:
Non-traditional mothers, step-mothers, lesbian mothers, immigrant mothers, minority mothers, professional mothers, writing mothers, artist mothers, new stay-at-home mothers, supermommies, sexually desiring mothers, celebrity mothers, yummy mommies/mummies, deviant mothers, perverse mothers, criminal mothers, drug-addicted mothers, or incarcerated mothers.

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