Practices, Identification and Identity Change in the Transition to Motherhood

Abstract

Identity transformation is of major concern in the social sciences (Brooks and Wee, 2008), but there is currently little agreement about the processes through which it occurs. This chapter illustrates the ways in which processes of identity change can be theoretically accounted for by analysing the ways in which Silma (a pseudonym), a first-time mother of Bangladeshi parentage, engages in practices that demonstrate to herself and others that she can successfully ‘do’ motherhood. The chapter can therefore serve to illuminate, and contribute to understanding the role of practices in identity transformation more generally. In summary, using vignettes from one case, we aim to provide a psychosocial account of the identity transitions involved in becoming a mother, highlighting how practices, of many different kinds, are vehicles for identifications, investments in motherhood and identity change.