Performing Feral Maternal(s)

‘Feral’ has been defined as ‘the process of returning to a wild state, escaping from captivity or domestication’ (Adsit-Morris, 2021). Social conventions governing the process of becoming a mother (‘matrescence’) can be experienced as a form of captivity, while others find that a complete metamorphosis takes place. Lucy Jones states in her book Matrescence (2023) that: ‘The neurobiological changes were so dramatic and uncontrollable that I simply had to find a This chapter argues that maternal performances of feral transformations provide an escape from gendered tropes surrounding motherhood. Parker-Starbuck asks: ‘Is it time to look for more porous boundaries and examine how humanity might, as Deleuze and Guattari write, become-animal?’ (Parker-Starbuck, 2006: 652). Kristeva argues that the abject is ‘above all, ambiguity’ (1982: 9) and subsequently Oliver (2009) and Lipschitz (2012) question the connection between what has been perceived as the abject female body (and its functions) within the context of animal studies, arguing that abjection can move beyond simply bodily taboos, providing a way of exploring species borders and affinities. This chapter examines the feral aspects of matrescence and draws on examples of artists who perform becoming-animal in their work.