Ourselves in Our Work

Research and activism around Black girls and Black girlhood are carving an evolving field—Black Girlhood Studies. This body of work has contributed to knowledge about the complexities of Black girlhood and has offered interventions to safeguard Black girls during this sacred but vulnerable period of life. Much of this work is performed by Black women. Recognizing the connection between the political and the personal, this edited collection, Ourselves in Our Work: Black Women Scholars of Black Girlhood, turns the focus from the girls to the women who study them to illuminate how they situate themselves in their work with Black girls. Contributors use tools such as autoethnography, scholarly personal narrative, autobiography, or memoir, to share experiences, perspectives, and embodied knowledge derived from their collaborations with Black girls. This book includes work from 15 scholars of Black girlhood over 13 chapters.