Latina/Chicana Mothering

Edited by Dorsía Smith Silva

Latina/Chicana Mothering provides a glimpse into the journey of mothering within the diverse spectrum of the histories, struggles, and stories of Latinas and Chicanas.  Here, the Latina/Chicana mothering experience emphasizes the need for various conceptualizations of mothering, especially in regard to the conditions which shape the lives of Latinas and Chicanas, such as race, gender, sexuality, culture, language, social status, religion, kinship, location, and migration.  The book has four sections: testimonios (narratives), links between motherhood and communities, mothering challenges, and literary and cultural images of Latina/Chicana mothers. As the essays in this book unfold, they reveal new images of motherhood and offer ways to transform Latina/Chicana mothering. Contributors include Ana Castillo, Mayra Santos-Febres, Junot Díaz, Dorsía Smith Silva, Angie Cruz, Michelle Tellez, Richard Mora, Laura Ruth Johnson, Gilda L. Ochoa, Helyne Frederick, Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, Yvonne Caldera, Anne R. Roschelle, Mirna E. Carranza, Mary Lou Babineau, Yolanda Martínez, Petra Guerra, Diana I. Rios, and D. Milton Stokes, and Cristina Herrera.

Contents

• Introduction: Conceptualizing Latina/Chicana Mothering
• I: Telling Our Tales: Testimonios
• II: Counting the Ways to Mother: Communities and Resources
• III: Scenes of La Familia: Facing Challenges
• IV: The Ties that Bind: Literary and Cultural Representations of Latina/Chicana Mothers
•About the Contributors
 

About the Author

Dorsía Smith Silva is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras.  She is the co-editor of Caribbean without Borders: Caribbean Literature, Language and Culture (2008) and Critical Perspectives on Caribbean Literature and Culture (2011).  Her work has appeared in several journals, including Journal of the Association for Research on Mothering, Journal of Caribbean Literature, and La Torre and her primary interests are ethnic mothering and mother and daughter relationships.