Constructing Lived Experiences: Representations of Black Mothers in Child Sexual Abuse Discourses

This ground-breaking text examines the intersections of race and gender in framing black mothers’ emotional and behavioural responses to the sexual abuse of their children. Based on research with non-abusing black mothers, the effects of the abuse on mothers’ parenting are posited to analyze the particular ways their mothering roles are impacted in the aftermath of abuse. It presents a black feminist investigation to critically evaluate the complexities for mothers. Developing a paradigm that is grounded in an understanding of gendered power relationships within black families, the book explores the implications for black mothers’ help-seeking and protective strategies. Arguing that children’s safety and long-term emotional needs can be enhanced by effective intervention with non-abusing mothers, the identification of risk situations for black children is discussed. This book offers a new perspective and expands our understanding of the effects of child sexual abuse in black families.