Mat og måltid som symbol for modring

Abstract

Food and Meals as Symbols for Mothering: An Analysis of the Picturebooks Mor by Kim Fupz Aakeson and Mette-Kirstine Bak and Stripekalven by Marit Kaldhol and Justyna Nyka     In this article, we analyze the picturebooks Mor (Mother, 1998) by Kim Fupz Aakeson and Mette-Kirstine Bak and Stripekalven (The Striped Calf, 2008) by Marit Kaldhol and Justyna Nyka based on the following question: How do Mor and Stripekalven treat food and meals as markers for both positive and negative aspects of mothering? In the analysis, we draw on, among others, Ulla M. Holm’s theory of mothering as a type of care practice and examine the four different women that act in the books. Our main finding is that the women, who end up practicing mothering, are complex and composite: they are capable of nurturing the children as well as themselves. Our study also reveals that care practices are portrayed as challenging when children are opposed to receiving them. Lastly, we conclude that the female characters in the books who qualify as mothers are ambivalent figures and not unequivocally good.