Challenging the Controlling Image of the Thug: Raising African American Boys and Confronting Gendered Racism

• In Event: 289 - Regular Session. Masculinities

Abstract

Through sixty in-depth interviews with African American middle- and upper-middle-class mothers, this article examines how the controlling image of the “Thug” influences the concerns they have for their sons and how they parent their sons in light of those concerns. Participants were principally concerned with preventing their sons from being perceived as criminals and protecting their physical safety. They used four strategies to navigate the challenges they and their sons confronted related to the image of the Thug. Two of these strategies — Experience Management and Environment Management — were directed at managing characteristics of their communities — and two — Image Management and Emotion Management — were directed at managing their sons’ demeanors. By examining parenting practices, this research sheds light on how controlling images affect how mothers parent their sons throughout their childhood and the strategies they use to prepare their sons to address gendered racism.

Author

• Dawn M. Dow, Syracuse University