CONCEPTUALIZING MOTHERHOOD IN 20TH-CENTURY SOUTH-AFRICA

This article attempts to move the debate around the political signific ance of motherhood beyond the two dominant themes in the literature, t hat of 'collusion with patriarchy' and 'difference' in black and white women's constructions of motherhood. The first privileges political d iscourse over art examination of women's own practice and social ident ity as mothers, while the second ignores historical evidence for overl apping meanings and common cultural influences among black and white w omen in the twentieth century. Motherhood cannot be reduced simply to a role imposed on women by men. While the proponents of 'difference' r ecognise this, they tend to apply this insight to black women only and to assume that black and white women have operated within quite separ ate and pure cultural domains. A more useful analysis of the significa nce of motherhood requires greater definitional complexity and more at tention to history, which this article begins to do. While the values of peace and nurturing associated with motherhood may be historically and culturally specific, this does not negate their appeal to South Af rican women and hence their political relevance.