Good Divorces

1. Auflage 2027
ISBN: 978-1-041-41207-6
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 160 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Writing Lives: Ethnographic Narratives

“More than anything, I want readers to know that we are not confined to the stories we come from. We can move forward with dignity even from messy beginnings. Pain, though unwelcome, can shape unexpected beauty. Forgiveness can emerge from within, even when circumstances remain imperfect.” Serena Henderson, contributing author

The word divorce commonly conjures up a tension-filled, difficult, perhaps unavoidably acrimonious break between former partners, soulmates, lovers. Shame and failure are often associated with divorce, compounded by cultural and religious norms and scripts that emphasize divorce as a narrative of deficiency.

In this book, seven authors reconstruct their stories of divorce, inviting readers to imagine how they can reimagine their stories to create hopeful futures rather than doom-filled destinies. The stories demonstrate that divorce does not have to be disastrous; it can be a necessary life shift that comes with surprising blessings.

While affirming that the ending of a marriage comes with loss, this book looks at divorce as a life transition, where painful challenges offer opportunities to create meaning and beauty. Divorce can be a starting point for healing and rescripting beliefs absorbed in childhood. Likewise, it can reveal unhealthy familial patterns and addictions, as well as unconscious behaviours hidden by the culturally-sanctioned marital framework. Divorce can permit a new lease on life, with options to develop healthier habits and relationships going forward.

The book shows how writing can facilitate meaning making and be therapeutic. By rescripting our experiences, we can come home to ourselves in ways we didn’t know were possible. Readers may be inspired to change the stories they tell and believe in pursuit of their own healing. Suggestions for Writing Toward the Good Divorce are included as an Appendix.

Zielgruppe

General, Postgraduate, Professional Reference, and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lengelle, Reinekke

Ypma, Florene

Fecho, Bob

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologie / Allgemeines & Theorie Psychologische Theorie, Psychoanalyse
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychotherapie / Klinische Psychologie Beratungspsychologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Allgemeine Psychologie Kognitionspsychologie Emotion, Motivation, Handlung
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologie / Allgemeines & Theorie Psychologische Forschungsmethoden
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein Empirische Sozialforschung, Statistik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Notes on contributors

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Editors’ Preface

1. Introduction: What Is a Good Divorce

Reinekke Lengelle, Bob Fecho, and Florene Ypma

2. Necessary Unscripting: Rewriting a Life Through Divorce Erma Tähkä

3. The Long Road Home: Breaking Free from Christian Fundamentalism Florene Ypma

4. Becoming Alive: Reimagining the Post-Divorce Self as a Work of Art

Bob Fecho

5. Breaking the Chain: Healing Intergenerational Trauma by Confronting Shame and Reclaiming Self

Serena Henderson

6. Aftertaste: Dialogical Selves and Hauntological Inheritance in a Good Divorce

Chelsey Barber

7. Freeing the Angry Black Woman Caricature Carolee Israel

8. Divorce: A Love Story Reinekke Lengelle

9. Writing the Good Divorce Bob Fecho, Reinekke Lengelle and Florene Ypma with contributor reflections

Appendix

Writing Toward the Good Divorce

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Reinekke Lengelle is associate professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Athabasca University, Canada and a researcher at The Hague University, The Netherlands. Her book Writing the Self in Bereavement: A Story of Love, Spousal Loss, and Resilience won two international awards.

Florene Ypma worked as a learning designer and editor at Athabasca University, Canada, where she prepared university courses for online distance education delivery. Her academic credentials include a Master of Arts in Professional Communication and a Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Studies.

Bob Fecho is Professor Emeritus of English Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, where his work focused on issues of language, identity, sociocultural perspectives, and dialogical pedagogy as they relate to adolescent literacy among marginalized populations.