The ominous ‘other’, almost invariably drawn from the underclass, is forever lurking in the shadows, threatening us and our way of life. Roland IJdema/Shutterstock

A society yearning for security divides along lines of liquid fear

The Conversation is running a series, Class in Australia, to identify, illuminate and debate its many manifestations. Here, Camilla Nelson looks at how perceptions of a threatening underclass are shaped…
Hailed as the US ‘Queen of the mommy bloggers’, Heather Armstrong’s Dooce.com has made her one of Forbes’ ‘Most Influential Women in Media’ and is a US$1 million a year business. Forbes

Is mummy blogs’ liberating power being subverted?

Making the personal political has long been a feminist project. But parenting blogs — known popularly, but often with a special sort of sexist sneer as “mummy blogs” — increasingly run the risk of making…
Toy catalogues relentlessly exploit the notion of educational product purchases as acts of motherly care. EPA/Erik Lesser

Toy catalogues put a Nerf gun to a mother’s head

The rise of intensive mothering has turned parenting into the ultimate ironwoman event. In an age in which the demands of the workplace have increased, so too the ideals of motherhood have become more…
We hear ever more about the value of creativity – but it’s a concept that needs to be historically defined. barriegreens

Is creativity eternal? No, we made it up ourselves

There are few English nouns that have received such relentlessly good publicity as the word “creativity”. Creativity — apparently — drives innovation, increases productivity, and safeguards the national…

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