Gold star motherhood: spectacle, emotion, and identity construction

Abstract

This dissertation analyzes experiences of gold star mothers, spectacles of grief, grief politics, organizational embeddedness, and the use of discourses in sense making and social identity mapping of valor revolving around military service member loss. Gold star mothers are those who have lost a child that was serving in the United States military or died as a direct result from active duty in the military. This research takes a mixed method ethnographic approach through in-depth life history interviews, participant observation at four national conventions of gold star mothers over the course of six years, participant observation at local gold star fundraisers, an anonymous survey, and content analysis of the Gold Star Mothers Organization's website and media outlets. In this work, you will learn how the GSMO navigates multiple political landscapes while attending to both the business side of the corporation and the emotional side of being a service organization comprised of bereaved mothers.