Penelope Morris is Senior Lecturer in Italian in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Her previous publications include Giovanna Zangrandi: una vita in romanzo (2001); (ed.) Women in Italy 1945-1960 (Palgrave, 2006) and, with Francesco Ricatti and Mark Seymour, (co-ed.) Politica ed emozioni nella storia d’Italia dal 1848 ad oggi (2012). Perry Willson is Professor of Modern European History at the University of Dundee, Scotland, UK. Her previous publications include Women in Twentieth-Century Italy (Palgrave, 2010); Peasant Women and Politics in Fascist Italy: the Massaie Rurali (2002) and The Clockwork Factory: Women and Work in Fascist Italy (1993).

“The book is essential reading for anyone interested in modern Italy, and in motherhood or gender more broadly; it complements recent work on the representation of mothers and motherhood in Italian culture by providing a very wide-ranging and thorough analysis and critique of the historical and cultural dynamics that underpin Italy’s postwar preoccupations with gender and family.” (Danielle Hipkins, Italian American Review, Vol. 10 (2), 2020)

• 1. La Mamma: Italian Mothers Past and Present: Penelope Morris and Perry Willson.- 2. Mammismo/Momism: On the History and Uses of a Stereotype, 1940s to the Present: Silvana Patriarca.- 3. Mothers, Workers, Citizens: Teresa Noce and the Parliamentary Politics of Motherhood: Molly Tambor.- 4. Problems and Prescriptions: Motherhood and Mammismo in 1950s Advice Columns: Penelope Morris.- 5. Conceptualizing the Maternal: Representations, Reflections and Refractions in Women’s Literary Writings: Ursula Fanning.- 6. Neapolitan Mothers: Three Generations of Women, from Representation to Reality: Gabriella Gribaudi.- 7. Mammas in Italian Migrant Families: the Anglophone Countries: Maddalena Tirabassi.- 8. Queer Daughters and Their Mothers: Carole Maso, Mary Cappello, and Alison Bechdel Write Their Way Home: Mary Jo Bona.- 9. Beyond the Stereotype: the Obstacle Course of Motherhood in Italy: Chiara Saraceno.-