This podcast explores the absence of maternal love expression and its profound impact on mother-daughter relationships, providing a comprehensive analysis from cultural backgrounds, personal experiences, to philosophical and social theories. First, the podcast points out that maternal love in East Asian culture is often expressed more through actions rather than words, a subtle mode that contrasts sharply with the emphasis on direct emotional expression in Western cultures. Mothers are often assigned the role of the “other” within the family, with their value embodied in their sacrifices and service to the family, leading to the suppression of their individuality in this self-sacrifice. Through May and Fiona’s experiences, the podcast presents two different phenomena of maternal love absence.
Next, the podcast analyzes the similarities and conflicts in mother-daughter relationships. Due to their kinship and intimacy, mothers and daughters often share similarities in behavior and values, but this also makes them prone to projecting expectations onto each other, creating pressures and conflicts within the relationship. Through phenomenologist Levinas’s theory of “otherness,” the podcast further examines how the lack of subjectivity in mother-daughter relationships affects the individual independence of both parties.
The podcast also explores whether love is about “presence” or “absence.” The subtle expression of love in East Asian culture often causes emotional communication to deviate from an ideal state, while generational differences and social contexts shape varying understandings of love. The absence of the father within the family is also considered an invisible driver of maternal love absence. The emotional role of the father is often functionalized, forcing mothers to take on greater emotional responsibilities and thus further emphasizing the functional and sacrificial nature of maternal love.
Finally, the podcast reflects on how the absence of love can promote individual growth from a philosophical perspective. While the absence of love creates emotional gaps, it also serves as a reminder to redefine love and express and repair relationships in healthier ways. Through reflection, May and Fiona share how they have explored independence and established new emotional patterns, breaking through the subtle expressions of love in their original families and moving toward more mature and complete emotional connections.
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