MATERNAL THINKING: Gifts, Mothers’ Bodies, and Earth
Maternal Thinking: Gifts, Mothers’ Bodies, and Earth, the fourth book of proceedings of conferences held by the Association of the Study of Women and Mythology (ASWM), is an instructional guide to saving ourselves and our planet. Many pre-historic, and even contemporary cultures, especially Indigenous communities, feature “Maternal Thinking.” Such cultures perceive that societies are successful when they center qualities associated with mothering: care, nurturance, cooperation, and meeting everyone’s basic needs while respecting Earth and reciprocating nature’s generosity..
The Association for the Study of Women and Mythology is dedicated to presenting the stories and values of cultures that honor our mother the earth and life-giving relationships of reciprocity and gift giving among all who dwell here. Our Proceedings Volume 4 draws on “maternal thinking”, a feminist perspective that reflects on mothering as a model for and a model of caring relations that involve gift giving and reciprocity. This expansive conception of mothering is not limited to biological mothers. Several contributions by indigenous women share stories honoring care-giving practices taught to humans by other than humans, including the earth, elemental forces of nature, and various animals and other living creatures. Other chapters bring new understandings of mothering relations in myths and goddess stories from Europe as well as Kurdish culture, ancient Jewish writings, and Buddhism. Maternal thinking enriches our understanding of the past and feeds a vision of the future in which all life is respected and preserved.
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