Great Reading

Recently published books by Communication and Culture faculty members

In the Other Room: Entering the Culture of Motherhood
Fiona Nelson

(From the back cover) Becoming a mother impacts every aspect of a woman’s life. Often it is other mothers with whom a new mother is able to articulate, debate and negotiate dimensions of her mothering experiences, from the physical/social aspects of pregnancy, through the daily work of a new mother, to the competing cultural constructions of motherhood. A diverse group of first-time mothers discuss and examine their experiences with what many have called “the mommies’ club.” Through interactions among mothers, information resources and advice are shared; hierarchies of authority within the community of mothers are established; and women are given opportunities to explore and construct their maternal identities, for example, through the sharing of birth stories. This study reveals how essential, valuable and complex are mothers’ connections with other mothers, and yet also how fraught and ambivalent these relationships can be.
Author Fiona Nelson is an associate professor and coordinator of the Women’s Studies program.
Published by Fernwood Publishing, 2009

Wild Words: Essays on Alberta Literature
Edited by Donna Coates and George Melnyk

Wild Words is the first collection of literary criticism focusing on Alberta writers. By assessing and critically situating specific Alberta authors according to genre, this book continues the work begun with Melnyk's two-volume The Literary History of Alberta. George Melnyk is associate professor of Canadian Studies and Film Studies. Donna Coates teaches in the Department of English.
Published by AU Press, Athabasca University, 2009

Expansive Discourses: Urban Sprawl in Calgary 1945 - 1978
Max Foran

In a groundbreaking study of urban sprawl in Calgary, Max Foran, professor of Canadian Studies, analyzes the relationship between land developers and the local government between 1945 and 1978, implicating both in a pattern of policy and decision-making that has resulted in the urban sprawl Calgary experiences today.
Published by AU Press, Athabasca University, 2009

War Memory and Popular Culture: Essays on Modes of Remembrance and Commemoration
Edited by Michael Keren and Holger H. Herwig

War Memory and Popular Culture evolved from a workshop held at the U of C on Remembrance Day 2006, which brought together historians, social scientists, communication scholars and popular culture experts. The book of essays examines the ways society remembers-or perhaps trivializes-war through popular culture. Michael Keren is Canada Research Chair in Communication, Culture and Civil Society and professor of Communications Studies. Holger H. Herwig is Canada Research Chair in Military and Strategic Studies and professor of History.
Published by McFarland & Company Inc., Publishers, 2009