Third and Final (Non)Mothers Reading Circle: On Motherhood and Feminism

The third and final reading circle on (non)motherhood will be led by acclaimed theorist and editor Pia Brezavšček from Slovenia, who will give a talk and moderate the discussion on the theme Mother or/and Feminist? The event will take place on 27 May at 5:30 PM CET online via Zoom. Upon registering at igralke.kolektiv [AT] gmail.com, you will receive a list of recommended readings.

If we understand motherhood solely as a patriarchal institution, then it’s no surprise that women—feminists—are increasingly choosing not to become mothers. As mothers, they would lose too much, since this role is pushed into the private sphere and framed as self-sacrificial, which stands in opposition to public engagement and autonomy, for which we have fought so long. In the eyes of some feminists, women who become mothers almost seem like traitors who have crossed over to the enemy’s side. But even if we support the abolition of motherhood, without the work of mothering—care as a relational situation that creates a safe environment for human offspring, which can be performed by adults regardless of gender—we cannot envision the reproduction of the species. Is there such a thing as feminist motherhood? Aren’t we, as a society, as feminists, also responsible for imagining and establishing alternative, solidaristic visions of motherhood? Could it be that the dualism between motherhood and feminism is merely grist to the patriarchal mill?

Pia Brezavšček is the editor of the performing arts journal Maska. She is a feminist and a mother. She tries to maintain and develop her interests, even though she doesn’t always have a desk of her own. Some think she’s a bad mother because she’s a feminist, and some think she’s a bad feminist because she’s a mother.

The (Non)Mothers Discussion and Reading Circle is part of the artistic research for the new documentary performance "Mothers" by Kolektiv Igralke and Rajna Racz, which explores women's decision regarding motherhood. The premiere of Mothers will take place in July 2025 as part of Ulysses Theatre. Alongside Ulysses and Igralke, the co-producers of the performance are UO Kuća Nahero from Zagreb and Zavod Maska from Ljubljana. The artistic research is co-financed by the City of Zagreb, while the work of Igralke and Kuća Nahero is supported by the Kultura Nova Foundation.