Book Description:
Defiant Mothers: Autobiographical Narratives of Motherhood and the Politics of Resistance in the Global South is an edited volume inviting original chapters that examine memoirs, autobiographies, diaries, and other forms of life writing that reimagine motherhood as a site of agency, dissent, and self-definition.

The volume is edited by Dr Shivalika Agarwal, Assistant Professor of English Literature at Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Bengaluru, and will be published by Demeter Press.

Details:
• Book Title: Defiant Mothers: Autobiographical Narratives of Motherhood and the Politics of Resistance in the Global South
• Edited by: Dr Shivalika Agarwal
• Publisher: Demeter Press
• Disciplines: Literature, Gender Studies, Cultural Studies, Life-Writing Studies & Feminist Theory
• Submission: Abstracts for original book chapters
• Abstract Submission Deadline: 30 October 2026
• Email: defiantmotherscfp@gmail.com

Suggested Themes:
• Maternal ambivalence, rage, grief, and creativity
• Bodily autonomy, sexuality, care, and labour
• Migration, nation, and intergenerational conflict
• Motherhood at the intersections of caste, class, race, gender, and sexuality
• Challenging the myth of the “good mother”
• Maternal self-representation as political intervention

Who Can Contribute:
• Scholars and researchers working in relevant interdisciplinary fields
• Researchers engaging with motherhood studies, life writing, feminist theory, literature, gender studies, or cultural studies

Submission Process:
• Interested contributors may submit their abstracts to defiantmotherscfp@gmail.com.
• Abstracts must be submitted by 30 October 2026.
• Contributors should refer to the official call for chapters for any additional submission requirements.