Urban assemblages, motherhood and mobility in Johannesburg and London.

In this article, we explore the intersection of motherhood, mothering and mobility practices in Johannesburg, South Africa and London, UK. Using an a posteriori mode of comparison that focuses on processes and repeated patterns, and drawing on assemblage theory, we examine the challenges of mothering and mobility in major cities of both the Global South and North. This approach enables us to show how material and non-material shape everyday experiences of motherhood (Araneda-Urrutia and Infante, 2020). In doing so, we argue that urban spaces are active components in the assemblages that make mothering both possible and challenging, rather than passive backdrops to human activities. By demonstrating how cities enable or constrain maternal mobility, we highlight the need for urban design and mobility policies that more explicitly account for mothers' lived realities.