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matrix / suffuse
naturalized
Sep 27, 2004 23:55
19 yrs ago
English term

(m)other / other

English Other Other
A small number of deviant mothers use the “sickness strategy” to project onto their babies their own frustrated wishes and needs, the central and determining feature of Munchausen by Proxy. Hence, mother love is best understood as (m)other love.

alternative love?
Responses
5 +7 anything other than natural
4 my other
2 +1 an idea
3 other

Responses

+7
55 mins
Selected

anything other than natural

In the article "(M)Other Love: Culture, Scarcity, and Maternal Thinking," anthropologist Nancy Sheper-Hughes calls mother love "anything other than natural and instead represents a matrix of images, meanings, sentiments, and practices that are everywhere socially and culturally produced."

quoted in
Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species by Sarah Blaffer Hrdy (Paperback)
which is for sale by amazon.
Peer comment(s):
agree Refugio
1 hr
cheers!
agree Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
1 hr
cheers!
agree Kim Metzger : Nice explanation and reference.
2 hrs
thank you, Kim. :)
agree Dorene Cornwell : There is clearly a play on words where all the mother's feelings she might invest in relation to another get congealed in this distorted image of mother love directed at her child
4 hrs
cheers!
agree vixen
7 hrs
agree Kpy : I agree with Dorene
7 hrs
agree Aisha Maniar : this term is used in feminist discourse too when discussing perceived gender roles :-)
9 hrs
neutral Richard Benham : This is another possibility. It would have to be a deliberate reference to that article though. So I suppose it depends how well-known it is in anthropological circles.
12 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "thank you"
4 mins

my other

I believe it is a play on words by using the sound. In the case described, "mother love" is actual "my other love" from the prespective of the mother, which is an alternative love as suggested, by coming from the mother but not directed toward the child, but rather toward the mother's unfilfilled frustrations.

Mike :)
Peer comment(s):
agree Kpy
1 min
Thank you, Kpy - Mike :)
agree Arroger : Arroger
52 mins
Thank you, Arroger - Mike :)
disagree Refugio : This is fanciful and unfounded.
2 hrs
Thank you, Ruth - it is always so nice to hear from you. - Mike :)
disagree Dorene Cornwell : entertaining, but it misses the point
5 hrs
Something went wrong...
+1
18 mins

an idea

not sure but I think these mothers are desperate for attention and love they did not receive as children

other love = love from the "other" (the doctor, nurse, etc.)
Peer comment(s):
agree Richard Benham : This is a pretty plausible suggestion.//There is no obvious right answer, and this one can't be dismissed--and the (m) can be explained by saying that these mothers do love as mothers as well, but it's somehow misdirected.
5 hrs
thanks Richard - but I guess most peers think otherwise :-)
disagree Dorene Cornwell : maybe so but not relevant to the meaning of this passage
5 hrs
thanks - It was just an "idea" with a 2 confidence level
agree Asghar Bhatti : agred with Richard.
5 hrs
thanks Asghar :-)
disagree Kpy : doesn't fit. You haven't explained the (m)
8 hrs
obviously for mother but it was just an idea. thanks so much for your honest opinion!
agree Clare Barnes
16 hrs
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43 mins

other

as in very different.
my take.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Richard Benham : Hmm. I'm not overwhelmed.One of the effects on MBP on the child seems to be on language development.
4 hrs
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