Studies of the Maternal: Black Mothering 10 Years On

Abstract

In this article, I reflect that 10 years on the study of the maternal continues to offer a critical space in to centre black mothering in the UK. Not only does it provide an analytical lens in which to document and reflect on black women’s daily lived encounters, but it also provides a framework in which to assert the validity of black mothers’ knowledge. This is particularly necessary for countering cultural messages that seek to deny their knowledge or tell black women that they are inadequate mothers. In the ensuing years, since the publication of my article in the inaugural collection, my research has continued to focus on black mothers, always with the intention to move them from the margins to the centre of maternal studies. Indeed, my central message is unchanging: for black mothers, operating at the intersections of race, class and gender; black women, inhabit and navigate different understanding of motherhood. I similar highlight ways that the practice of Black mothering signifies a political act of resistance against intersecting inequalities.