Exemplary, Strong Black Marriages and Families

1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-29718-5
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 304 Seiten, Format (B × H): 178 mm x 254 mm

For much of the twentieth century, research on Black families was dominated by narratives of deficits and dysfunction. This groundbreaking book tells a different story—one of strength, resilience, and adaptive processes within Black marriages and families. Drawing on decades of scholarship and original research, it highlights how Black couples and families navigate stress, racism, and adversity through faith, social support, fictive kin networks, and community ties. Through compelling interviews and national data, the book explores themes of hope, forgiveness, relational sanctification, and intergenerational care, offering a powerful reframing of Black family life.

This book is an essential resource for students, researchers, and practitioners in family studies, sociology, and African American studies. It is also highly relevant for anyone seeking to understand the enduring strength and resilience of Black families.

The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of Marriage & Family Review.

Zielgruppe

Postgraduate, Undergraduate Advanced, and Undergraduate Core

Autoren/Hrsg.

Skipper, Antonius D.

Hendricks, Justin J.

Marks, Loren D.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychologie / Allgemeines & Theorie Psychologie: Sachbuch, Ratgeber
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Familiensoziologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Foreword Introduction: Exemplary, Strong Black Marriages & Families 1. The Strengths of Black Families: Family Support, Fictive Kinship, and Congregation-Based Social Support Networks 2. Insights on Self-Perceptions, Coping, and Racism from Wives, Husbands, and Youth in Strong, Religious African American Families 3. How Serving Others in Families and Faith Communities Strengthens African American Marriages 4. Positive Psychology in Strong Black Marriages: Optimism, Humility, Agency, Growth, and Faith 5. The Power of Humor in Strong African American Marriages: Laughing, Lifting, and Loving 6. “I Got Your Back”: A Qualitative Examination of Black Married Couples’ Narratives of Protection and Care During Stressful Times 7. “Worth the Wait”: The Perceived Benefits of Sexual Abstinence Until Marriage 8. Sanctification and Hope in African American Couples 9. Relational Sanctification, Forgiveness, and Family Functioning in African American Couples Conclusion: Countering Deficits and Building Families

Über Autor(innen)

Antonius D. Skipper is an Associate Professor in the Gerontology Institute at Georgia State University.

Justin J. Hendricks is a PhD Candidate in Sociology and Demography at Pennsylvania State University.

Loren D. Marks is Professor at the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. He is also a Faculty Fellow at the Wheatley Institute and Co-Director of the American Families of Faith Research Project (https://americanfamiliesoffaith.byu.edu/)