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This chapter examines the representation of maternal surveillance in The School for Good Mothers (2021) by Jessamine Chan. Through a dystopian lens, the novel critiques the mechanisms by which the State enforces a model of normative motherhood, highlighting the punitive consequences of failing to conform to the unattainable ideal of the ‘Good Mother.’ Drawing from Foucauldian theories of surveillance and matricentric feminism, this study explores the protagonist Frida’s systematic scrutiny by the state, the psychological impact of imposed maternal perfection, and the possibilities of resistance within a system that punishes any deviation. Ultimately, it underscores the oppressive nature of maternal surveillance and the urgent need to reconsider social expectations surrounding motherhood.

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Institutionalized Maternal Surveillance: Violence and Resistance in Jessamine Chan’s The School for Good Mothers

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Paula Serrano Elena

摘要

This chapter examines the representation of maternal surveillance in The School for Good Mothers (2021) by Jessamine Chan. Through a dystopian lens, the novel critiques the mechanisms by which the State enforces a model of normative motherhood, highlighting the punitive consequences of failing to conform to the unattainable ideal of the ‘Good Mother.’ Drawing from Foucauldian theories of surveillance and matricentric feminism, this study explores the protagonist Frida’s systematic scrutiny by the state, the psychological impact of imposed maternal perfection, and the possibilities of resistance within a system that punishes any deviation. Ultimately, it underscores the oppressive nature of maternal surveillance and the urgent need to reconsider social expectations surrounding motherhood.