Single African American Motherhood Vis-A-Vis Black Feminist Standpoint: An Autoethnographic Study Of Maya Angelou’s Experiences
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Abstract
The study contests the two narratives about single African American motherhood eternalized in U.S. society’s doctrines of mothering of, first, either being a careless ,unfit mother or second, superstrong self-sacrificing, devoted mother; and argues that the mothering experiences of African American women are testimony of unbecoming of romanticized versions of African American mothers. The argument is substantiated by Maya Angelou’s autobiographical experiences from Gather Together in My Name (1974) and Singin’ & Swingin’ & Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas (1976) which do not conform to pre-existing notion of motherhood but rather engage and challenge them by reconstructing and reframing the discursivity of African American motherhood. The study explores the sociological significance of two distinctive issues in this narrative: the interlocking constitution of single African American mother’s oppression, and their resilience and endurance. The stance of a single African American mother caught in the trilateral contretemps of race, class and gender create new consciousness about their lives, community and families, which ultimately leads to the development of proficient Black Feminist Standpoint. The study employs autoethnographic approach as methodology. Further, the study may help other marginalised communities by putting greater trust in the ingenious prospects of their autobiographies and cultural biographies.