Constructing a Mothers’ Culture: Affective Bargains in Branding Discourses

Abstract

Cultural studies has often favoured a Foucauldian framework that focuses on the role that discourses play in shaping individuals’ subject positions. The task of researchers has been to unravel normative discourses and/or identify acts of resistance. In practice, this frequently presupposes a duality between (passive) dominance and (active) resistance, treating as automatic and uninteresting the terms upon which dominant discourses are negotiated and accepted. But conformity to norms can be more complex. This article argues for extending Foucault by exploring the affective dimension of cultural discourses and their acceptance. We build on the theory of Lauren Berlant to analyse five brands targeted at UK mothers. We identify a mothers’ culture: a normative domain where a set of difficulties associated with managing both the imaginary and the lived practices of motherhood are expressed and organised through discourses.