Maternal Narratives in Public Contexts: Shaping Perspectives and Enacting Identities brings together critical research on the construction and enactment of mothering and motherhood in public spheres. The book is divided into two parts – in the first part, authors examine how prevailing ideals of motherhood influence twenty-first century culture by exploring iterations of maternal identity in various media forms, from Dr. Spock’s self-help guide to film and small-screen entertainme...