A Mothers' House of Language

Developing a Bibliotherapeutic Support Model for Narrative Agency in Motherhood

Abstract

Motherhood is one of the most discursively regulated roles in Western societies. In discourses of motherhood, definitions are established for what motherhood should be, often overlooking what it actually is, which can create a profound disconnect between narrative and lived experience. Psychoanalytic feminist theory has addressed the subordinate position women hold in the symbolic order and called for a women's house of language as a place of their own in the cultural discourse. Crafting a place for oneself amongst the discourses and narratives requires narrative agency, the ability to make interpretive and narrative choices regarding one's life and the surrounding world. With biblio/poetry therapeutic methods, it is possible to explore hegemonic narratives as well as individual ones, and the dialogue between them. By applying the theory of narrative agency to the concept of a women's house of language, I have developed and implemented a bibliotherapeutic narrative agency support model for mothers to support their narrative agency and help them build their own house of language. In this article, I will discuss the findings made about the method in my bibliotherapy group for mothers and explore the unique space offered by preventive bibliotherapeutic practice at the intersection of therapy, pedagogy, and activism.