In the discourse of climate change, the role of the mother is often excluded. When motherhood is acknowledged, it is often framed narrowly and negatively in relation to overpopulation (see, for example, Stanbury). Despite increasingly urgent warnings for future generations in discussions of climate, there remains a gap in considering who will prepare the next generations to survive in a vastly altered climate. At the same time, the concept of “Mother Nature” or “Mother Earth” is frequently invoked in discussions of climate (Gill), but often without connection to the increased burdens for human (and other animal) mothers that climate change will necessitate.

Recent scientific studies demonstrate a growing awareness of the deleterious effects of climate change on maternal and infant mortality (for example, Keenan, et al.). The environmental humanities, and environmental literature in particular, need to engage and further enhance the critical conversation around motherhood and climate change. The environmental humanities offer a vital perspective on issues of climate, particularly its intersections with complex social structures, such as gender, race, class, etc. Environmental literature creates a generative space in which to explore the causes and consequences of anthropogenic climate change, as well as to imagine alternative futures.

Toward these goals, this panel explores how literary texts address issues of childbearing and childrearing amid environmental crises. Proposals should consider one or more of the following (or related) questions in any literary time period or genre, including but not limited to “cli-fi” (climate fiction):

How do literary texts help us think about the roles of motherhood and/or parenting amid environmental crises?

What forms of labor do women take on in reproduction and childcare in the face of environmental disaster? How might these conditions worsen given the dire climate warnings that future generations face?

How can future generations become a source of regeneration for the planet, rather than an added extractive burden?

How can the embodied and affective labor of birth and parenting be balanced with unprecedented levels of environmental destruction (i.e. can there be a balance between the personal and the planetary)?

Possible authors could include Margaret Atwood, Louise Erdrich, Octavia Butler, N.K. Jemisin, and Diane Cook, among many others.

Works Cited

Gill, Sam. “What is Mother Earth? A Name, A Meme, A Conspiracy.” Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature & Culture, v. 18, n. 2, p. 162–188, 2024. EBSCOhost, https://research-ebsco-com.usj-ezproxy.usj.edu/linkprocessor/plink?id=e49da7f1-f712-3197-8444-829cc0...

Keenan, Olivia J., et al. “Examining the Impact of Climate Change Risks on Pregnancy through a Climate Justice Lens: A Review.” Atmosphere, vol. 15, no. 8, Aug. 2024, p. 975. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.usj-ezproxy.usj.edu/10.3390/atmos15080975.

Stanbury, Craig. “Procreating in an Overpopulated World: Role Moralities and a Climate Crisis.” Journal of Bioethical Inquiry, vol. 21, no. 4, Dec. 2024, pp. 611–23. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.usj-ezproxy.usj.edu/10.1007/s11673-024-10338-y.