Danish Mothers On-Screen

Djuna Hallsworth is an early career researcher with a PhD in Gender and Cultural Studies from the University of Sydney. She received her PhD for her thesis entitled “Motherhood in the Danish Welfare State” which was accepted without conditions in 2020. Her research spans welfare state policy, media representations, feminist theory, disability studies and female sexuality. Though born and raised in Australia, Djuna has spent much time in Denmark and is interested in studying the small nation’s film and television production methods, and how these interact with Danish social and cultural policy. With a background in lecturing and tutoring students across a range of ages and abilities, Djuna produces research that is accessible and engaging. She has published studies of public service broadcasting in Denmark and the representation of mental illness in Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House, and has lectured in cultural policy at the University of Sydney.

• Chapter 1. Introduction: Narratives of Danish culture in fiction and policy.- Chapter 2. Gender and motherhood in Danish social policy.- Chapter 3. Policy in practice: film, television and cultural policy.- Chapter 4. Motherhood, sexuality and shame in Danish cinema.- Chapter 5. Crime dramas and the working mother’s sacrifice.- Chapter 6. Powerful women and forgotten mothers in Danish public service drama.- Chapter 7. Conclusion — Manifesting “good people” through fiction.