Tell Me About Your Mother... w/ Hannah Zeavin and Helen Charman
May 14, 2025
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Hannah Zeavin, an Assistant Professor at UC Berkeley and cofounder of The Psychosocial Foundation, teams up with Helen Charman, a Cambridge Fellow and accomplished writer. They delve into the intersection of motherhood, media, and technology throughout the 20th century. Their conversation reveals how media shapes societal expectations of mothers and explores the anxieties tied to modern parenting. They also critique historical narratives and the influence of iconic TV shows, highlighting the evolving dynamics of maternal roles and the impact of technological advancements.
The podcast explores how media and technology have historically shaped and challenged traditional notions of motherhood in Western cultures.
Mothers face a duality of comfort and anxiety stemming from media narratives, which influences their parenting experiences and societal pressures.
Historical examples of caregiving highlight the complexities and societal stigmas surrounding maternal roles, reflecting ongoing anxieties about non-biological caregivers.
Deep dives
The Role of Technology in Mothering
The discussion emphasizes that the traditional image of motherhood, particularly in Western cultures, is heavily influenced by technological advancements. Many believe the nuclear family, characterized by a mother and father with children, is a norm, but this image is largely a fantasy. The reality often includes a myriad of technologies that enable mothers to extend their roles beyond the home environment. This is seen in how media and other technologies have historically shaped mothers' experiences and expectations in domestic spaces.
Media's Impact on Parenting
Media plays a crucial role in shaping the narratives around motherhood and child-rearing. The evolving relationship between mothers and media since the mid-20th century has led to new anxieties regarding parenting and children's behaviors. The podcast highlights how mothers often face a double bind, feeling both comforted by media while simultaneously fearing its potential negative influences on their children. This duality manifests in societal pressures and parental concerns about external influences infiltrating the home.
Fantasy versus Reality in Family Structures
The fantasy of a self-sustaining nuclear family clashes with the complexities of modern family dynamics. Mothers are typically portrayed in a limiting way, suggesting they can solely manage household responsibilities, while overlooking the significant roles of caregivers and family structures that include a wider support system. The podcast highlights how the pressures and demands placed on modern mothers often create a sense of inadequacy. These misconceptions are intensified by media portrayals that reinforce unrealistic ideals about motherhood.
Historical Perspectives on Motherhood and Caregiving
The conversation delves into historical examples of caregiving, particularly female roles such as wet nurses and nannies, and their impact on mothers across generations. These figures often navigate the nuances of care and the stigma attached to their roles, highlighting the intricate dynamics of mothering in different socio-economic contexts. The narrative reveals societal fears prevalent throughout history regarding the influence of non-biological caregivers on children. Understanding these histories is essential in unpacking contemporary anxieties regarding caregiving and maternal roles.
Cultural Narratives Surrounding Motherhood
Cultural narratives around motherhood often exhibit tension between modernity and nostalgia, especially regarding state provisions and family structures. The podcast explores how figures like Dr. Spock and Winnicott created frameworks that molded societal expectations of motherhood, leading to new practices in parenting. Yet, while aiming to empower mothers, these narratives simultaneously impose restrictive ideals that can create feelings of failure. The interplay of personal experiences, media representations, and state influences continues to shape the discourse on motherhood in contemporary society.
Hannah Zeavin and Helen Charman return to the podcast to discuss the history of technology, media and mothering throughout the 20th century. We discuss the role media and technology play in the labor process of mothering, how media often becomes a site of panic and pathology, and what this all tells us about the relationship between the state and the so-called private household.
Hannah Zeavin is Assistant Professor of the History of Science in the Department of History and the Berkeley Center for New Media at UC Berkeley. In 2021, she cofounded The Psychosocial Foundation and is Founding Editor of Parapraxis magazine. She is the author of The Distance Cure and more recently Mother Media: Hot and Cool Parenting in the Twentieth Century (both published by The MIT Press.)
Helen Charman is a Fellow and College Teaching Officer in English at Clare College, University of Cambridge. Her writing has been published in publications such as the Guardian, The White Review, and Another Gaze. As a poet, Charman was shortlisted for the White Review Poet's Prize in 2017 and for the 2019 Ivan Juritz Prize for Creative Experiment, and has published four poetry pamphlets, most recently In the Pleasure Dairy. Her first book Mother State: A Political History of Motherhood published last August.
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Soundtrack by Mark Pilkington
Twitter: @red_medicine__
www.redmedicine.substack.com/
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