Subversive Mothers, Disturbing Domesticity

Clare Gallagher’s book is both beautiful and dangerous, as books that shake up structures always are. This book stunningly dissects the expectations, attitudes and self-evident assumptions we have come to associate with the mental, physical and emotional work of the home. Gallagher’s book is brilliant, not only because of its sharp analysis, which shows the big societal structures in everyday domestic practices, and challenges binary oppositions, but just because the extremely important topic: home. -- Anna-Kaisa Rastenberger, Suomen valokuvataiteen museo / The Finnish Museum of Photography, Finland
This is a work of domestic divination. Using photography as a methodological instrument Subversive Mothers, Disturbing Domesticity takes us into a realm where chaos and dirt can reveal patterns of meaning, and pristine order can signal the deployment of power. Lyrical, politically astute, aesthetically profound, Clare Gallagher’s book is always deeply humane. I will never look at a paper towel in the same way again. -- Ben Highmore, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Studies, University of Sussex, UK
Gallagher’s work is a penetrating exploration of the domestic. The taxonomy, method, terminology and subject headings reflect a feminist, mother’s eye of a well-practiced artist. She plays masterfully with subversion, in particular, the disruptive qualities of the literal and metaphorical lens. -- Jennifer Keating, Professor of English, University of Pittsburgh, USA