With a heavy heart, I write in honor of two women who spent much of their time writing and thinking about motherhood.<\/p>\n
Two weeks ago, feminist philosopher Sara Ruddick<\/strong> (1935-2011) passed away.\u00a0 The author of the highly influential Maternal Thinking: Toward a Politics of Peace<\/em><\/a>, Professor Ruddick focused attention on the day-to-day activities of mothering (a practice she did not restrict to mothers).\u00a0 In her obituary<\/a>, New York Times<\/em> reporter William Grimes writes that she<\/p>\n developed an approach to child-rearing that shifted the focus away from motherhood as a social institution or biological imperative and toward the day-to-day activities of raising and educating a child. This work, she argued, shaped the parent as much as the child, giving rise to specific cognitive capacities and values \u2014 qualities of intellect and soul. Doing shapes thinking, in other words.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n He quotes Andrea O\u2019Reilly, scholar and founder of Demeter Press<\/a> and the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement<\/a>, on the impact of Ruddick on the study of motherhood.\u00a0 Professor O\u2019Reilly cites Maternal Thinking<\/em> (along with Adrienne Rich\u2019s Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution<\/em>) as \u201cthe most significant work in maternal scholarship and the new field of motherhood studies.\u201d\u00a0 In 2009, Demeter Press published an edited collection of essays, Maternal Thinking: Philosophy, Politics, Practice<\/a>, that explored the impact of Ruddick\u2019s book on maternal scholarship.<\/p>\n Her ideas influenced many fields.\u00a0 On the Feminist Law Professors blog<\/a>, Pace law professor Bridget Crawford writes that Ruddick\u2019s influence \u201cwas seeping into feminist legal theory\u201d and provided the groundwork for much \u201ccontemporary legal scholarship on caretakers and vulnerability.\u201d \u00a0Her loss is felt by many of us who have been deeply influenced by her thinking about mothering.<\/p>\n Although I did not know Sara Ruddick personally, I did know Jessica Nathanson<\/strong> (1968-2011),\u00a0a contemporary and a Women\u2019s Studies colleague who passed away earlier this week.\u00a0 Jessica was an inspiring human being.\u00a0 She was a smart, creative, and accomplished professor, writer, and blogger, and a generous and committed mother, friend, and activist.\u00a0 She fought breast cancer with an indomitable spirit.<\/p>\n I first met Jessica at the National Women\u2019s Studies Association<\/a> Conference, where she was an active member of several groups, including the Feminist Mothering Caucus<\/a>.\u00a0 She always had an incredibly thoughtful and perceptive answer, whatever the question.\u00a0 (And as a newcomer to the Feminist Mothering Caucus, and later as a co-chair, I asked her many questions.)\u00a0 Over the years, we had several opportunities to talk about mothering, research, creative writing, blogging, teaching, job searching, and trying to fit it all in.\u00a0 But, I now realize, not enough opportunities.\u00a0 Nowhere near enough.<\/p>\n