The experience of race in the lives of Jewish birth mothers of children from black/white interracial and inter-religious relationships: a Canadian perspective |
Ethnic and Racial Studies
Published online: 2013-01-14
DOI: 10.1080/01419870.2013.752099
Channa C. Verbian, BSW, M.Ed., RSW, OASW, OCSWSSW
Toronto, Canada
In this paper, I discuss my life history study on experiences of race in the lives of Jewish-Canadian and Jewish-American birth mothers of children from black/white interracial, inter-religious relationships. Opening with a reflection on my personal experience and what compelled me to undertake this research, I then provide a short introduction to attitudes about interracial/inter-religious relationships found in the literature, followed by an introduction to my research methodology. Finally, I compare and contrast the experiences of three Jewish-American mothers, excerpted from their published narratives, and the experiences of two Jewish-Canadian mothers from two recorded interviews, with my own experience. I conclude this paper with a brief summary of the emerging themes in my research and how they add to our understanding of mothering across racialized boundaries.
Background
As a Jewish-Canadian mother of children from a black/white interracial, inter-religious relationship. I wanted to be proactive about my children’s social and psychological development. Consulting the literature on interracial children and racial-identity formation. I became increasingly curious about the experiences of white mothers and how everyday racism and racial discourses might affect their…
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Tags: Channa C. Verbian, Channa Verbian, Ethnic and Racial Studies