Memory, place and motherhood: Oral histories of urban and regional Australian mothers since 1945

Whilst there is a strong tradition of scholarship on the history of Australian motherhood, much of this work has prioritised elite discourses at the expense of women’s experiences. In those histories that have considered experiences of motherhood, very few have discussed whether experiences of mothering are influenced by physical environments.

Based upon a major research project funded by the Australian Research Council, this paper will draw upon oral history interviews with 50 Australian women who became mothers in the second half of the twentieth century. The paper will analyse the ways in which place flavours memories of motherhood and compare and contrast the effects of urban and regional environments on the experience of raising children.

Richly illustrated with audio interview excerpts, this paper will argue that memories of mothering are inherently place-based, and that experiences of mothering are influenced by the geographic and domestic environments in which women raise their children.