Review: Shadow Bodies: Black Women, Ideology, Representation, and Politics, by Julia Jordan-Zachery

Abstract

Julia Jordan-Zachery’s book explores the politics of Black womanhood and what is perceived as “acceptable” Black womanhood. Divided into six substantive chapters, Jordan-Zachery’s book makes use of multiple modes of evidence—speeches, magazine articles, and blog posts—to examine the issues of HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and mental illness. In examining each piece of evidence, she asks which Black women’s perspectives are missing from the conversation—“who are the shadow bodies?”. She ultimately finds that it is the Black women affected by HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and mental illness who are left out of the conversation and are ultimately excluded from the political narrative because they do not “fit” scripts conventionally assigned to Black women’s bodies.In chapter 1, Jordan-Zachery lays out the theoretical framework of the book. She relies on multiple theories to encapsulate the political experiences of Black women, namely intersectionality, muted group theory, and body studies. The way in which she places these theories in context demonstrates how shadow bodies are created. Utilizing the first theory of intersectionality, Jordan-Zachery takes particular care to emphasize its foundations in the experiences of Black women, which has both political and structural components. By grounding the work in intersectionality, she highlights the important point that all Black women’s experiences are not the same. Citing muted group theory, she notes the ways in which Black women who are affected by HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, and mental illness are either ignored or shunned by other Black women and by the Black community at large. Muted group theory allows Jordan-Zachery to emphasize how Black women are silenced and how the aforementioned Black women do not have a voice at all. Finally, there are assumptions about who Black women should be and what their bodies represent—both in relation to whites and in relation to Black men. Using body studies, Jordan-Zachery argues that the body itself is political and structures the expectations of Black womanhood.In chapter 2, Jordan-Zachery focuses on scripts that are assigned to Black women’s bodies. She argues that these scripts guide the ways intragroup politics are exhibited in the Black community. She highlights the “Ass” and “Strong Black woman” metascripts. The “Ass” script is associated with Black women’s hypersexualization as objects for sexual pleasure. The “Strong Black woman” script is associated with Black women’s assumed physical and spiritual strength. Black women engage in the physical and emotional labor of supporting, uplifting, and nurturing others. In addition, Black women are expected to endure and protect, regardless of their own hurt and needs. These scripts inform the stereotypes with which Black women have become associated. This scripting on Black women’s bodies has implications for the selection of issues that are considered part of the policy agenda and issues that are considered important for Black women.In chapter 3, Jordan-Zachery demonstrates three very important points that are fundamental groundwork for the chapters to come. First, not only does she center Black women’s political participation, but she also makes a clear argument that public discourse, “talk,” is a form of Black women’s political engagement. While the use of floor speeches from Black female elected officials might be seen as a natural choice as to what is considered “political,” Jordan-Zachery invites the reader to think beyond the conventional acts of political participation. Her inclusion of magazine articles and blog posts broadens the definition of political to the life and existence of Black women. With this focus in mind, she reminds the reader that Black women are not monolithic. Black women have multiple identities that not only influence their worldview but also how they are perceived by others. For this reason, what is and is not talked about becomes even more important as Black women’s talk may reflect some voices but not all. Finally, Jordan-Zachery speaks to how these silences in Black women’s talk—i.e., issues that are not discussed and Black women at the margins who are ignored—may come to be. She reminds us that Black women too can be complicit in the act of bringing the “Ass” and “Strong Black women” scripts to bear on their own.Although scholars have discussed silence in the Black community regarding HIV/AIDS, Jordan-Zachery’s discussion in chapter 4 provides a new lens through which to consider the silence of Black women. In her analysis of Black women’s talk, HIV/AIDS is discussed more than domestic violence and mental illness, albeit in a way that lacks the depth necessary to address all Black women who are affected. In Black women’s talk, Jordan-Zachery’s analysis suggests that the focus is placed on framing the issue as celebratory or a crisis. Celebratory talk highlights public figures who are bringing attention to the issue as well as campaigns and activities geared toward spreading awareness or remembering those who died of AIDS. Crisis talk highlights evidence on the prevalence of the illness in the Black community as well as the mortality rate. In talking about ways to address HIV/AIDS, the onus is put on Black women to educate themselves and be diligent about guarding or maintaining their own sexual health.The discussion on domestic violence in chapter 5 both addresses multiple oppressive structures that reinforce the silencing of Black women on this issue and notes who is most vulnerable. It is Black women in a lower socioeconomic class who are at higher risk of experiencing domestic violence. Moreover, domestic violence is an even more complicated topic of discussion for Black women because of “racial loyalty.” That is, Black women must contend with the idea that seeking police assistance in a moment of crisis might bring about negative interactions with her partner and the criminal justice system, particularly when her partner is a Black male. In spite of the complexity that race adds to the issue of domestic violence, Jordan-Zachery finds that race and class are not prominent parts of Black women’s talk. Furthermore, the talk surrounding Black women’s experience with domestic violence largely assumes a heterosexual relationship. Black women’s talk leaves same-sex partner violence out of the conversation. Jordan-Zachery notes the complexity of the “just leave” message surrounding domestic violence. Black women’s talk highlights the success stories of Black women who have left domestic violence relationships but is silent on the women who cannot just leave.Finally, in chapter 6, Jordan-Zachery addresses Black women’s talk surrounding mental illness. Before delving into her analysis, Jordan-Zachery discusses how multiple factors—at both system and individual levels—create shadow bodies. She highlights research on Black women’s susceptibility to depression and discusses the stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment, which is compounded by a mistrust of medical professionals. In Black women’s talk of mental illness, Jordan-Zachery finds that Black women place an emphasis on the experiences of other people (such as talking about the mental health struggles of famous people or emphasizing the importance of seeking help for struggles with mental illness), while never sharing personal struggles with mental illness. This talk marginalizes Black women with mental health issues as it presents mental health as a “them” issue, not an “us” issue. Furthermore, Jordan-Zachery notes that the way in which Black women’s talk is framed neglects system-level factors that might both contribute to mental illness and discourage help-seeking—like poverty and sexuality.Altogether, Jordan-Zachery’s work calls the reader to rethink what is political—even to the level of Black women’s very existence. Her focus on Black women is important for centering this group as political actors but also reminds the reader that Black women’s experiences are not all the same. She masterfully strikes the balance between speaking to the ways in which Black women use their political voice and bringing light to Black women and the issues that are not discussed. This work is powerful because Jordan-Zachery seamlessly incorporates and engages with multiple fields of research to address Black women’s political behavior and political reality.