Children of Social Worlds. Martin Richards and Paul Light, eds. Cambridge, MA:  Harvard University Press, 1986.

This book contains articles, each with bibliography, based on the idea that human development cannot be fully examined or comprehended outside of the social context in which it occurs. The authors reflect varying points of view within the social sciences in England, though studies in social cognition seem over-represented. The editors appear to have chosen authors whose work expands the conventional barriers of their respective academic fields. Specific assumptions within a particular discipline that have biased past research on child development are generally identified and contrasted to the work at hand.

Of particular relevance to the modern analyst is the article by Ann Oakley, “Feminism and Motherhood,” which stands out among the others for its fresh discussion of our current state of knowledge about motherhood. Oakley correctly credits the feminist movement for the impetus to research the theories and experiences of mothering. She deftly synthesizes the studies that challenged the overarching frameworks of Freud and Marx comparing these to works which sought to illuminate the actual experiences of mothering. The latter studies refuse easy theoretical categorization. The reader comes away not only with a review of the recent literature about mothering but also with an understanding of how this new body of scholarly knowledge grew. For this reason, Oakley's essay ought to be read. Like the other studies in this collection, “Feminism and Motherhood” has a vitality that is uncommon.