Resilient African-American Women: Autoethnographic And Narrative Inquiry Of Subjectivity And Agency

The question of risk and resilience has been widely debated in the psychology and sociology fields, examining correlations between risk and protective factors related to resilience. The literature shows that the mother is a significant promotive factor for resilience outcomes for children. However, these perspectives have not sufficiently addressed the risks among the African-American population to adequately illuminate the problems and mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences, particularly maternal neglect. The purpose of this qualitative study is to inquire into the narratives of African-American women to explore how they negotiate subjectivity and access agency in the absence of their single-mother’s support. This study is an autoethnographic and narrative inquiry, utilizing one-on-one, semi-structured interviews as data collection methods. Specifically, the research examines two participants’ stories to analyze the subjectivities and identities derived from childhood neglect. The researcher applies black feminism and poststructural theory to analyze the participants’ subjectivities and their agency and discusses ways they demonstrate resilience to achieve academically and to access agency, despite their circumstances. The researcher also employs autoethnography to include personal experiences with childhood maltreatment to support the participants’ stories for a greater understanding of risk, resilience, subjectivity, and agency among African-American women.