Representing the Divided Self

Abstract

This article is an experimental treatment of conflict and ambivalence in a study of mothers’ accounts of child rearing. Encouraged by the postmodern critique of overly rationalized academic texts, the author intentionally fragments her work to highlight the process of journal-article writing itself. Interspersed with the researcher’s text are reflections on the main narrative. These reveal fragmentation, multiplicity, and a sense of work in progress, all of which are seen as valuable to future paradigms of representation.