The mothers’ stories; representations of authenticity, authority, agency and autonomy

This thesis is an exploration of matricentric feminism, an emerging theory of a mother focused feminism that positions mothers and mothering at its centre based upon the scholarly work and definition of Andrea O’Reilly. The thesis considers how embedded within matricentric feminism is
empowered mothering which is focused on a woman’s practice of
mothering from a position of authenticity, agency, authority and autonomy(O’Reilly, 2016). It sits in the field of Maternal and Motherhood Studies. The purpose of this research was to collect mother focused narratives to understand experiences of mothering from marginalised mothers, explore
if they presented the attributes of empowered mothering and to centre lesser-known experiences of mothering.

The methodological framework for the research was matricentric autoethnography which enabled the inclusion of my own maternal narrative alongside those of the mothers. My narrative is woven throughout the study and alongside the other stories of mothering each are presented together as layered accounts. Adopting an autoethnographic approach created the opportunity to unite both our life and experiences with theory. By offering the reader our stories we invite her/him to understand marginalised mothers more and in turn to further understand their selves.The research explored aspects of our experiences that have been neglected
or overlooked within conventional social science research and revealed findings that conclude marginalised mothers can and do practice as empowered mothers and implement authenticity, agency, authority and autonomy into their mothering. This signifies the importance of exploring mothers and mothering using a mother focused lens. The study makes an
important contribution to the portrayal and understanding of mothering in challenging circumstances illustrating the strength and assets asserted in our mothering as well as signifying the value of mother focused autoethnography. In addition, it strengthens the integration of matricentric
feminism into academia while illustrating various versions of mothering that move beyond stereotypical identities.