Womanism Against Socially Constructed Matriarchal Images: A Theoretical Model Toward A Therapeutic Goal (black Religion/womanist Thought/social Justice)

This book stems from a concern to assist pastoral counsellors in developing a therapeutic alliance with African-American women. It focuses on the social construct of the African-American matriarch, which can easily misinform the counsellor and cause emotional jeopardy for African-American women who attempt to live up to its expectations. "This is an innovative work that provides a powerful and accurate definition of the social construct of the African-American female in America. This construct developed from mythical images and ascribed to her have never been critiqued or challenged until interpreted through the lens of Womanism. This work meets head on with the challenges that occur because of the many negative issues that stem from her environment which affect her mental and emotional state of being. This work gives voice to the dilemmas that she face while learning to navigate the tri-dimensional oppressive structures that exists in her first and second cultures. Finally, it provides a model for healing, thereby giving her hope for resolve"-- Provided by publisher Cover 1 Contents 8 Acknowledgement 10 Introduction“Are All the Children at the Table?” 11 1“My Soul Looks Back and Wonders” 17 2 Who Is the African American Female?“Strong Women Do Not Cry” 38 3 African American Mother/DaughterSocial Construction“God Doesn’t Put More on YouThan You Can Bear” 58 4 Womanism: Embodying One’sOwn Particularity“No Matter the Crime, the Child Is Mine” 75 5 Psychological Confrontation of Matriarchy“Work Easy Until You Get Your Headout of the Lion’s Mouth” 90 6 Forgiveness: A Healing Response 114 7 Conclusion and Wider Implications 149 Notes 158 Selected Bibliography 169 Index 175 Front Matter....Pages i-xv “My Soul Looks Back and Wonders”....Pages 1-21 Who Is the African American Female?....Pages 23-42 African American Mother/Daughter Social Construction....Pages 43-59 Womanism: Embodying One’s Own Particularity....Pages 61-75 Psychological Confrontation of Matriarchy....Pages 77-100 Forgiveness: A Healing Response....Pages 101-135 Conclusion and Wider Implications....Pages 137-145 Back Matter....Pages 147-167 "This book stems from a concern to assist pastoral counselors in developing a therapeutic alliance with African-American women. It focuses on the social construct of the African-American matriarch, which can easily misinform the counselor and cause emotional jeopardy for African-American women who attempt to live up to its expectations"-- Provided by publisher