Wounds of the spirit : Black women, violence, and resistance ethics / Traci C. West.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

West, Traci C., 1959-

Series:

Black women writers

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African American women--Crimes against.

African American women.

African American women--Social conditions.

Rape--United States.

Rape.

Wife abuse--United States.

Wife abuse.

Child sexual abuse--United States.

Child sexual abuse.

Racism--United States.

Racism.

Sex discrimination against women--United States.

Sex discrimination against women.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 249 p. ; 23 cm.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, c1999.

Summary:

In Wounds of the Spirit, Traci West employs first person accounts-from slave narratives to contemporary interviews to Tina Turner's autobiography-to document a historical legacy of violence against black women in the United States. West, a black feminist Christian ethicist, situates spiritual matters within a discussion of the psycho-social impact of intimate assault against African American women. Distinctive for its treatment of the role of the church in response to violence against African American women, the book identifies specific social mechanisms which contribute to the reproduction of intimate violence. West insists that cultural beliefs as well as institutional practices must be altered if we are to combat the reproduction of violence, and suggests methods of resistance which can be utilized by victim-survivors, those in the helping professions, and the church. Interrogating the dynamics of black women's experiences of emotional and spiritual trauma through the diverse disciplines of psychology, sociology, and theology, this important work will be of interest and practical use to those in women's studies, African American studies, Christian ethics, feminist and womanist theology, women's health, family counseling, and pastoral care.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

I. Listening to Women's Stories

II. Paying Attention to Women's Anguish

III. Deciphering the Role of Society

IV. Garnering Methods of Resistance

Notes

Select Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-243) and index.

ISBN:

0-8147-8471-2

0-585-42492-6

OCLC:

268793959