Motherhood and Religions

The Variety of Maternal Experiences in Religious Contexts: Reading Religious Sources on Motherhood, Mothering, and Mothers across Time and Cultures 

Maternal experiences—shaped by spiritual beliefs, religious traditions, and cultural practices—offer a unique lens through which to examine the intersection of motherhood and religion. From the institutional frameworks that define and regulate maternal roles to the deeply personal, lived experiences of mothering, religion exerts a multifaceted influence. This call for papers invites an interdisciplinary dialogue that explores the diversity and complexity of motherhood (as an institution) and mothering (as an experience) within religious contexts across time and place. 

This inaugural call for papers for the new AAR Unit on Motherhood and Religions seeks to illuminate how maternal experiences are understood, constructed, and contested within and beyond religious frameworks, as well as how they can be critically studied by scholars in religious studies and closely related disciplines. It aims to engage with both normative and non-normative maternal roles, uncovering their significance in religious narratives, rituals, and communities. By exploring diverse contexts and perspectives, we hope to challenge reductive and hegemonic interpretations of motherhood and highlight its centrality as a category of analysis in religious studies. 

We invite contributions that critically examine the ways religion shapes, supports, constrains, and challenges maternal roles. The following themes are intended as a guide, but submissions are not limited to these topics: 

• Maternal Figures Across Time and Traditions Beyond traditional explorations of maternal archetypes in mythology, religion, and folklore, including divine, animal, and abstract representations, we want to ask, rather, how do these figures inform or challenge societal understandings of motherhood and the real, lived experiences of mothers, in history and today? What roles do these figures play in shaping theological and cultural ideals of motherhood?
• Maternal Rituals and Practices What are the rituals, prescriptions, or restrictions associated with motherhood in various religious traditions? How do they influence maternal agency and identity? 
• Embodiment and Maternal Experience Critical discussions of biological and physiological dimensions of motherhood (e.g., fertility, pregnancy, birth, lactation) and their cultural or spiritual interpretations. How are these experiences framed by religious or secular ideologies, and how do they shape maternal identities? 
• Maternal Agency and Resistance Analyses of how maternal figures negotiate autonomy and resistance within restrictive frameworks, including religious, political, or societal systems. How do mothers reclaim or redefine maternal roles in diverse contexts? What strategies do mothers employ to navigate, resist, or transform these frameworks? 
• Non-Normative Maternal Roles and Non-Hegemonic maternal figures Studies on maternal work performed by individuals or entities outside traditional definitions of motherhood—othermothering, communal parenting, spiritual mothering, queer mothering, single parenting, and technological or artificial maternities. 
• Intersectionality in Mothering and Maternal Work, including beyond Gender Case studies that examine how intersecting identities (e.g., gender, race, class, sexuality, and disability) shape and complicate maternal and traditional gender roles, including global perspectives from underrepresented regions. We welcome perspectives on maternal work undertaken by queer, male, nonbinary, and other caregivers. 
• Cultural and Religious Negotiations of Motherhood Investigations of how motherhood and mothering practices are shaped, constrained, or reimagined by religious doctrines, cultural traditions, and state policies, including but especially beyond issues of rights over one’s own body. 
• Maternal Narratives and Representation The role of literature, art, and media in constructing or deconstructing narratives of motherhood. How are maternal voices included or excluded, and what do these representations reveal about broader cultural values? 
• Reclaiming Motherhood in Religious Contexts How have mothers, as individuals or collectively, reclaimed or subverted religious narratives to advocate for maternal agency and justice? 
• Theoretical and Methodological Challenges in Religious Studies What unique challenges arise when studying motherhood, mothering, and maternal identities at the intersection of religion and spirituality? How can new methodologies expand the field? '

This initiative builds upon and extends scholarship that situates motherhood as both an institution and a lived experience. Drawing from Adrienne Rich’s distinction between motherhood and mothering, we seek to examine how religious frameworks shape, constrain, or enable these roles. Similarly, inspired by Sara Ruddick’s understanding of mothering as an intentional practice (“mother” as a verb), this initiative emphasizes the agency and creativity of those engaged in maternal work, irrespective of gender, biology, or traditional family structures. 

By foregrounding the interplay between religion and maternal experiences, this new AAR Unit aspires to deepen our understanding of the importance of motherhood in shaping—and being shaped by—religious life. Through this initiative, we seek to create a robust platform for exploring the rich, complex, and varied dimensions of motherhood and religion.