Inside the socialist nursery: welfare maternity and the writing of Denise Riley

This article considers Denise Riley's contribution to a feminist history of the British welfare state apparatus, with a focus on maternity and reproduction. Drawing attention to the inter-locking of historical method with the emergence of feminist theory, the article comments on the importance and originality of this encounter. There is also an abbreviated attempt to convey a line of argument subsequent to Riley's early work, with reference to the power of the vernacular language of the popular media as purveyor of morality and harsh judgement of women.