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6.12: Kinship and Community Norms

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    324880
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    In response to the systemic dismantling of the Black family under slavery and through policies like mass incarceration, extended and fictive kin networks have been a crucial adaptive strategy (Stack 1974). Community norms of ‘othermothering’—where women in the community share child-rearing responsibilities—and a strong sense of collective responsibility for children have been vital for community survival and resilience (Collins 2000). These practices challenge narrow, Eurocentric definitions of family and highlight the creative ways African Americans have built kinship in the face of adversity.


    6.12: Kinship and Community Norms is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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