Motherhood as a Space for the Other: A Dialogue between Mother Maria Skobtsova and Hélène Cixous

The article deals with the issue of motherhood as a space for the other in terms of its being a space shared with the other on both the biological level and also in the metaphorical sense of the word, where motherhood means accepting the other into the wider space of the body of a family, of society, and of the whole universe. This opening up of one’s space for the other necessarily implies that the space diminishes. The article explores the theme through the work of two writers, Mother Maria Skobtsova (1891–1945) and Hélène Cixous (b. 1937), as both reflect in their lives the idea of motherhood as a space for the other. It puts their voices into conversation from their different discourses. Mother Maria speaks the language of theology and poetry, and the artistic language of icons; Hélène Cixous the language of literary criticism, psychoanalysis, and creative writing