Abstract

"Challenging Misrepresentations of Black Womanhood" investigates the typecasting of Black womanhood and the larger sociological impact on Black women’s self-perceptions. It details the historical and contemporary use of stereotypes against Black women and how these women work to challenge and dispel false perceptions. The book highlights the role of racist ideas in the reproduction and promotion of stereotypes of Black femaleness in media, literature, artificial intelligence and the perceptions of the general public. Contributors in this collection identify the racist and sexist ideologies behind the misperceptions of Black womanhood and illuminate twenty-first–century stereotypical treatment of Black women such as Michelle Obama and Serena Williams, and explore topics such as comedic expressions of Black motherhood, representations of Black women in television dramas and literature, and identity reclamation and self-determination. "Challenging Misrepresentations of Black Womanhood" establishes the criteria with which to examine the role of stereotypes in the lives of Black women and, more specifically, its impact on their social and psychological well-being.

Marquita M. Gammage is associate professor in the Africana Studies Department at California State University, Northridge, USA. She was awarded the Best Scholarly Book Publication Award by the Diopian Institute for Scholarly Advancement in 2016.

Antwanisha Alameen-Shavers is assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies at San Diego State University, USA. She has published scholarly articles focusing on the role of women in African traditional societies and controlling images attached to Black womanhood.

"Challenging Misrepresentations of Black Womanhood" investigates the stereotyping of Black womanhood and the larger sociological impact on Black women’s self-perceptions. It details the historical and contemporary use of stereotypes against Black women and how Black women work to challenge and dispel false perceptions, and highlights the role of racist ideas in the reproduction and promotion of stereotypes of Black femaleness in media, literature, artificial intelligence and the perceptions of the general public. Contributors in this collection identify the racists and sexist ideologies behind the misperceptions of Black womanhood and illuminate twenty-first–century stereotypical treatment of Black women such as Michelle Obama and Serena Williams, and explore topics such as comedic expressions of Black motherhood, representations of Black women in television dramas and literature, and identity reclamation and self-determination.

The five sections of the book provide a brief historical overall of the long-standing use of stereotypes used against Black women; explore the systematic attack on Black motherhood and how Black mothers use self-determination to thrive; investigate treatments of Black womanhood in media, television and literature; examine the political impact of stereotyped frameworks used for deconstructing Black female public figures; and discuss self-affirmation and identity reclamation among Africana women.

"Challenging Misrepresentations of Black Womanhood" establishes the criteria with which to examine the role of stereotypes in the lives of Black females and, more specifically, its impact on their social and psychological well-being.

“This excellent collection of critical essays is a welcome and valuable contribution to an expanding theoretical and lived experience literature on African-centered womanism. It engages in a scholarly and sensitive manner the ongoing task of exposing and dispelling racist and sexist stereotypes, misconceptions and myths of Black women.”
—Tiamoyo Karenga, Lecturer in Kawaida Womanism and Women and Power in Ancient Egypt, Kawaida Institute of Pan African Studies, USA

“A thought-provoking, African-centered examination of Black women’s efforts to reclaim their space, dignity, public image and right to self-determination against the backdrop of America’s racially charged social landscape. Brilliantly done!”
—Patricia Reid-Merritt, Distinguished Professor of Africana Studies and Social Work, Stockton University, USA

“'Challenging Misrepresentations of Black Womanhood' provides us with an important and useful work in which African women represent themselves and offer a wide range of perspectives and analytical initiatives in critical resistance to stereotypes and mythologies about Black women.”
—Maulana Karenga, Professor and Chair, Department of Africana Studies, California State University-Long Beach, USA, and Author of Maat, the Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt: A Study in Classical African Ethics