Maternal anthropologics

Abstract

Throughout the approximately 4 minutes of this experimental video-essay a three-year-old child interrupts various remarks from their mother while they are being remotely broadcasted. The mother affected by the child's presence is an anthropologist, teacher and researcher who teaches, writes, studies and reflects in a disjointed, interrupted and fragmented manner, constantly disrupted by the needs of her daughter. The video constructed from a low-resolution collection of classes and events that took place throughout 2020 (the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic) is permeated by unusual situations and the endearing presence of the child, highlighting the unfolding of multiple simultaneous roles and the consequent exhaustion of the mother. Although it features the faces of a mother and a child, the video transcends the specifics of the individuals portrayed, anthropological or even scientific endeavours. It is a video about the intersections between maternal and professional practices. This work generates identification and anguish in those who share the same experience of juggling caregiving and remunerative work. The hope is that it can also provide a glimpse of this experience for those who do not share it but often pass judgment on those going through it.