No Raggedy Black Child
Attachment Parenting, Black Motherhood, and the Politics of Respectability
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2392476 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Patricia Hamilton (0000-0003-3040-245X, University of York, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 57-73 |
| Publication date | 2025-05-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociological Research Online (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1360-7804 • E-ISSN: 1360-7804 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/13607804251329711 |
| OpenAlex | W4410508620 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 32 |
First described by historian Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, the politics of respectability captures the both 'conservative and radical' approach of black Baptist women of the early 20th century in their efforts to address racism in the United States. Respectability politics focused on altering individual behaviour as a strategy for achieving social change and have recently regained prominence, reflecting the contemporary neoliberal moment. In this article, I use the frame of respectability politics to examine the experiences of contemporary black mothers, particularly drawing a comparison between the politics of respectability and attachment parenting (AP), a popular childrearing philosophy. I argue that the appeal of respectability flows along classed lines with middle-class black mothers developing an AP-informed parenting practice that deploys respectability as a protective shield for their children. This finding suggests the importance of attending to intraracial class politics as we practice intersectionality and theorise about the new realities of black motherhood
Black male · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Child Welfare and Adoption · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender Studies · Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies
Righteous discontent
The cultural contradictions of motherhood
Revolting Subjects
Parenting Culture Studies
Unequal Childhoods
The Rise of Respectability Politics
Black British feminism
Reproducing Race
Black Feminist Thought
Powers of Freedom
Feminist Methodology
“These people have seen this in our cultures back home”
Bereaved Black Mothers and Maternal Activism in the Racial State
How Any Woman Does What They Do Is Beyond Comprehension”
Making Black Motherhood (In)Visible
Feminism and Attachment Parenting
Body-led mothering
The Paradox of Natural Mothering
Our life is a struggle”
American Nightmare
The UK is not innocent
The 'Good' Attached Mother
Rethinking respectability politics
The Neoliberal Turn in Black Politics
Visible Black Motherhood is a Revolution
Undoing the Demos
Being a Good Mom
Raising Middle-class Black Children
The Public Identities of the Black Middle Classes
The Unfreedom of Being Other
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |