Description
Book SynopsisIn African American Girls and the Construction of Identity, Sheila Walker closely examines socioeconomic class and explores the way it shapes how African American girls experience race and gender in the process of their identity formation. While all the girls who participated in the two-year study are African American, their lives are racialized and gendered in significantly different ways, in both public and private spaces. Affluence is not a guaranteed protection against the identity-damaging effects of racism, and poverty is not necessarily a risk factor for an irresolute identity. By examining identity through the lens of class, Walker provides researchers, educators, and parents a more in-depth appreciation of what is a very complex, multi-layered phenomenon.
Trade ReviewIf anyone is curious about the depth and scope of the sociocultural and psychological experiences and profiles of young African American women then this book should be kept close by for use as a reference and a resource. Beautifully crafted and logically constructed Sheila Walker’s book will be a major source for understanding the influences of self, place, and identity of young ethnic women for years to come. With a wealth of interesting material and a clear and accommodating, yet sufficiently rigourous, framework, anyone who studies these pages will come out a richer person. The written voice is confident and authoritative. The text is clear, engaging, and inspiring. -- Joseph Trimble, Western Washington University
Table of ContentsChapter 1: Race, Class, Gender, and Identity in Psychological Research
Chapter 2: Laying the Groundwork: Theoretical Foundations
Chapter 3: Methodology: Who We Are, What We Did, and Why
Chapter 4: The Private School Girls: Privilege and Pain, Pressure and Pride
Chapter 5: The Magnet School Girls: Courage and Conviction, Service and Savvy
Chapter 6: The Public School Girls: Resilience, Resistance, Responsibility
