In Birthing Black Mothers Black feminist theorist Jennifer C. Nash examines how the figure of the "Black mother" has become a powerful political category. "Mothering while Black" has become synonymous with crisis as well as a site of cultural interest, empathy, fascination, and support. Cast as suffering and traumatized by their proximity to Black death-especially through medical racism and state-sanctioned police violence-Black mothers are often rendered into one-dimensional symbols of tragic heroism. In contrast, Nash examines Black mothers' self-representations and public performances of motherhood-including Black doulas and breastfeeding advocates alongside celebrities like Beyonce, Serena Williams, and Michelle Obama-that are not rooted in loss. Through cultural critique and in-depth interviews, Nash acknowledges the complexities of Black motherhood outside its use as political currency. Throughout, Nash imagines a Black feminist project that refuses the lure of locating the precarity of Black life in women and instead invites readers to theorize, organize, and dream new modes of Black motherhood.

Book Information
ISBN 9781478013501
Author Jennifer C. Nash
Format Hardback
Page Count 264
Imprint Duke University Press
Publisher Duke University Press
Weight(grams) 152g