Fwd: Mailing from the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies: announcement of 'Monitoring Parents: Science, evidence, experts and the new parenting culture'

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Talking of sociologists, thanks for forwarding this . It is always good to keep a critical stance about the things we do, and Furedi's group at the University of Kent are good at keeping us all on our toes. The 'read on' links are all worth looking at, certainly anyone interested in the breastfeeding debate will find it useful to scroll down to the link to Ellie Lee's piece on BBC news. best wishes I thought this might cause controversy on Senate maryFrom: Ellie LeeSent: Friday, January 21, 2011 11:47 AMSubject: Mailing from the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies: announcement of 'Monitoring Parents: Science, evidence, experts and the new parenting culture'Welcome to the latest Centre for Parenting Culture Studies (CPCS) newsletter. This goes to those who have attended events organised by CPCS, and others who have expressed an interest in the issues raised. If for any reason you do not want to receive future mailings, let me know. Ellie Lee, Director CPCS E.J.Lee@... Parenting Culture Studies on-line: The Centre for Parenting Culture Studies blog is online at: http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/parentingculturestudies/ 1. Upcoming CPCS events Monitoring Parents: Science, evidence, experts and the new parenting culture Readers of this mailing will likely have noticed recent statements from British politicians regarding the case for ‘early intervention’, and associated claims about brain science. See for example: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12216967 In this light, we are delighted to announce the dates for this two-day event organised jointly with Kent Centre LGS. ‘Monitoring Parents: Science, evidence, experts and the new parenting culture’ will take place on 13th and 14th September 2011 at the University of Kent.The Call for Papers is attached. This, and details of the background to the event can also be found here: http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/parentingculturestudies/pcs-events/forthcoming-events/parenting-science/ This will be the main event for the Centre this year. It provides an opportunity to reflect again on ideas discussed at our founding ‘Monitoring Parents’ conferencehttp://blogs.kent.ac.uk/parentingculturestudies/pcs-events/previous-events/monitoring-parents/ and through our ESRC seminar series ‘Changing Parenting Culture’http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/parentingculturestudies/pcs-events/previous-events/changing-parenting-culture/ It also provides an opportunity for a focussed and critical look at the ever-growing influence of claims and propositions regarding ‘parenting science’. We very much hope those interested in, and concerned by, current developments in this area will participate through presenting about their own work, and/or contributing to discussion over the two days. Confirmed participants so far include T. Breuer, President of the S. McDonnell Foundation in St. Louis, Missouri and author of The Myth of the First Three Years (1999); Janet Golden, Professor of History, Rutgers University, author of Message in a Bottle: The Making of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (2005); and Tallis, doctor, retired clinical scientist and philosopher, author of the forthcoming book Aping Mankind: Neuromania, Darwinitis and the Misrepresentation of Mankind. Send abstracts for papers to E.J.Lee@... ‘Feeding children in the new parenting culture’Kindly supported by The Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness This event takes place on March 21st 2011, at the British Library, London. It is now fully booked, but we are operating a reserve list. Mail the event organiserC.Faircloth@... if you would like to join it. Joan Wolf, Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Texas A & M University, will open the event discussing ideas from her new book Is Breast Best? Taking on the Breastfeeding Experts and the New High Stakes of Motherhood. Joining her on this panel are Professor (Head of the College of Social Science, University of Leicester), Dr Fewtrell (Reader in Childhood Nutrition, Institute of Child Health), and Zoe (Columnist, The Guardian). Read an interview with Joan Wolf here: http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/01/10/author-joan-b-wolf-in-conversation/ The day will continue with discussions about ‘Feeding children in the ‘obesity crisis’ and ‘Food, motherhood and meaning’. Full details are here: http://blogs.kent.ac.uk/parentingculturestudies/pcs-events/forthcoming-events/feeding-children/ 2. Other upcoming events Life Cycles Seminar SeriesInstitute of Historical Research, Senate House, London WC1E, Pollard Room5.15pm, 8 February 2011Prof. Veronique Mottier (Cambridge) ‘Feminism and New Reproductive Technologies’. For more details mail the convenors:Dr Ofra Koffman (King’s College) ofra.koffman@...Dr Clare (University of Greenwich) m.c.h.martin@...Dr Leonard Schwarz (University of Birmingham) l.d.schwarz@... The Discourse, Power, Resistance conference13th-15th April 2011, University of PlymouthDetails are here: http://www.dprconference.com/ CRFR New Researchers in Families and RelationshipsThursday 9 May 2011, University of Edinburgh For details see: http://www.crfr.ac.uk/events/newresearchers.html BSA Human Reproduction Study GroupOpen University on Wednesday June 15th 2011Call for papers attached 3. Call for papers: proposed edited volume What’s new about ‘parenting’? Comparative studies in kinship, self and politics Editors: Dr. Charlotte Faircloth (U. Kent), Professor Diane Hoffman (U. Virginia) and Cecilia Tomori (U. Michigan) Drawing on perspectives from the new kinship studies, medical anthropology and reproduction, this volume will explore the global impact and everyday experiences of ‘parenting’. A trend towards ‘intensive’ parenting has been widely noted by a range of social scientists working in middle classes milieus across the UK, US, Australia and Canada, yet the ways in which parents’ and families’ experiences have been affected by this shift – in short, the transformation of ‘parent’ from a noun to a verb – is not a topic that has been explored significantly within anthropology. Using a range of ethnographic examples, this volume seeks to examine the sociocultural significance of ‘parenting’ as a subject of professional expertise, and activity in which adults are increasingly expected to be emotionally absorbed and become personally fulfilled. This novel collection of essays will locate ‘parenting’ as a central and contested site where parents’ and children’s personhood, family ties, and unequal political economic relations are (re-)produced. Our volume will consider how recent historical transformations illuminate classic anthropological and sociological questions about the construction of personhood and selves, in the contexts of kinship, culture, and political economy. In particular, we ask what kinds of “mothers,” “fathers,” and “children” are being produced in this new culture of “parenting”? What moral obligations are entailed in these categories and what are their consequences for the daily enactment of kinship? What kinds of cultural assumptions and authoritative claims are made by ‘parenting experts’ and how do parents negotiate and experience these expectations in their daily lives? What kinds of political economic relations are being reproduced through ‘parenting’ and how do these affect the construction of gender, race, and social class? How does the relationship of ‘parenting experts,’ government policy targeting ‘parenting,’ and the daily concerns of families as they engage in ‘parenting’ ultimately shape the ‘nation’ (cf. Carsten 2004, Wade 2007)? Whilst this ‘intensive parenting’ ideology has emerged from specific settings, it nevertheless has far-reaching implications. The volume aims to explore this through a range of cross-cultural ethnographic examples. We encourage contributions on the themes of parenting, gender, class and race, from a range of ethnographic locales in Europe, Canada and the US and particularly those from non-Euro-American settings. We hope that this comparative perspective will allow us to address both the local constructions and experiences of ‘parenting’ as well as their collective effects. An ethnographic methodology will allow the notion of ‘parenting’ to be opened up and examined in relation to larger cultural themes, through the lens of everyday practices and material cultures. Note: This proposal emerges from the recent American Anthropological Association Meetings in New Orleans (November 2010), and the panel, ‘What’s new about parenting?’ Kinship, politics and identity. Members of that panel expressed an interest in taking forward the conversations there in the form of an edited volume; we would welcome contributions from anyone else wishing to join us. We will be submitting a proposal to publishers in February 2011, with a view to publication in 2012. Contributors are asked to submit abstracts of up to 300 words to the editors, via Charlotte Faircloth (c.faircloth@...) by Friday 4th February. Please feel free to contact her for further information.4. Read on Infant Feeding Practices: A Cross-Cultural PerspectiveRead details of this new collection of essays edited by Pranee Liamputtonghttp://www.springer.com/public+health/book/978-1-4419-6872-2?cm_mmc=EVENT-_-BookAuthorEmail-_- Viewpoint on feeding babies, by Ellie Leehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12008913 Mothers admit to parenting lies (with comment from Furedi)http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12192050 Is ‘who we are’ really determined in the womb?, by McDermotthttp://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/reviewofbooks_article/10039/ An open letter to Nick Clegg, by Jennie Bristowhttp://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/10104/

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HRSG Poster 2011.doc

MonitoringParentings2011CallForPapers.pdf