‘—

Alfie Corteza Assignment #4

Alfie Corteza

Professor Bullock

Assignment #4

A concept that Morgan’s work and Federici’s work share is motherhood. However, there is a disjunction regarding the quality of childcare when there is a comparison between the indigenous African motherhood and the parenting of Europe women. The comparison in Morgan’s literary includes Peter Kolb’s reference in his 1731 narrative that these savages have no feminity and their actions, and customs stray far away from the social norms of women in Europe, and as a result, it is inferior. With the way the literary piece states the considered barbaric parenting, it can be easily perceived that European maternal care to be held in high praise and superior to African motherhood. But, when you read Federici’s piece, it is stated that women in France and Germany were constantly monitored by everyone surrounding them to make sure that the mother is taking proper care of the child. By having no trust with the mothers with their children, it reveals that a significant factor as to why European women take the utmost care for their child is due to public scrutiny if she was deemed unfit. By being under constant judgment, Federici shows a flaw in the ruling of adequacy. Morgan article states that European women take proper care of their children compared to the “savages,” but Federici’s reports reveal that European women are not putting the effort required to raise a child properly.

By having two different ideas regarding the effectiveness of the European women’s childrearing, it sends confusing messages as to whether or not women, in general, are capable raising a child. Also, it sends a difficult comparison as it does not make a clear separation of how proficient African and Indigenous women raise their children compared to European women. It is confusing as it states that women of color cannot take care of children to the same level as European women, and yet they harshly criticize European women. By denouncing European mothers of their effectiveness as parents, it begs the question who raises the children the best then? Furthermore, these two articles do not complement each other as they contradict their argument as to which race has superior maternal care.