Embodying Parenthood in Academia

Intrigued by Pillay's (2009) call for writing motherhood into one's scholarship and creating "liberatory intellectualism," the authors write this commentary to encourage exploration of and inquiry into viable metaphors of hands in poo and goo; performing paranoia, suspicion, and constant worry into one's scholarship; and moments that embody parenthood with academia. In considering the plenitude of recent attention as seen in "The Chronicle of Higher Education" and other publications on issues related to parenthood in academia, the authors find value in integrating parenthood into their academic, scholarly identities. Writing and creating parenthood identity as visibly and tangibly integral to academic identity can generate new insights and metaphors. (Contains 2 endnotes.)