Description
Book SynopsisGladys L. Mitchell-Walthour offers a comparative analysis of how Black women social welfare beneficiaries in Brazil and the United States defy systems of domination. She argues that poor Black women act as political subjects in the struggle to survive and challenge daily discrimination even in dire circumstances.
Trade ReviewThis innovative, meticulously researched book sheds new light on the experiences and struggles of poor Afro-descendant women in the United States and Brazil. An example of intersectional research at its best, the analysis uncovers how the interlocking dynamics of gender, race, skin color and poverty simultaneously shape and constrain social policies. Building on a long tradition of comparative scholarship on race in both countries,
The Politics of Survival offers a sophisticated and nuanced Black feminist perspective on the gendered racialization of poverty in the Americas. -- Kia Lilly Caldwell, author of
Health Equity in Brazil: Intersections of Gender, Race, and PolicyThe Politics of Survival offers a seamless combination of strong theory, sound methodology, and rich empirical evidence. Mitchell-Walthour anchors her analysis in Black feminist theory thereby centering Black women as the main subjects and using an intersectional approach to highlight the complex reality of poor Black women’s lives. -- Ollie A. Johnson III, coeditor of
Comparative Racial Politics in Latin AmericaThe Politics of Survival treasures the social vision and economic ethics of poor Black women in Brazil and the United States. Mitchell-Walthour's impeccable research champions the political opinions of poor Black Women about social welfare policies and shows how their leadership is the best path for meeting material needs and activating and sustaining participatory democracy. Mitchell-Walthour surfaces how the global face of misogynoir and shaming poor women has been weaponized to disempower, marginalize, steal wages and family futures, and constrain political parties and policy options over generations. This is precisely how gender politics and race and ethnic politics transform comparative politics and how our research shapes a democratic Black Woman led future. -- Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, author of
Waste of a White Skin: The Carnegie Corporation and the Racial Logic of White VulnerabilityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Politics of Survival
2. Support of Social Welfare Programs, Stigma, and Resistance
3. Perceptions of Class, Skin Color, and Gender Discrimination
4. Are Poor Black Women to Blame for Conservative Politicians? Social Welfare Beneficiaries’ Political Knowledge, Voting Preferences, and Religion
5. Conclusion: Are Poor Black Women the Hope for Progressive Politics?
Appendix
Notes
References
Index
