Toward a Du Boisian paradigm of family science

Abstract

We offer an invitation to the Du Boisian paradigm for family science. We outline this paradigm in relation to Guba and Lincoln's ontological, epistemological, and methodological questions and our addition of the phenomenological question. A Du Boisian paradigm meets the need for a social justice orientation in social science scholarship, which is equipped to identify, contextualize, and respond to oppression across the globe. A social justice orientation recognizes the centrality of the carceral state and racial capitalism and tends to their ramifications in seeking the transformation of the conditions that produce harm. We offer historical and contemporary examples from diverse disciplines on myriad topics to highlight social justice‐oriented scholarship that has already done the work of pushing the bounds of how we engage with academic research, theory, and praxis, as well as points of consideration for work yet to be done in service of eradicating oppression.

“Everything I Believe In Is Rooted in Love”: Women and Non-binary Activists of Color Fighting for the Practice and Promise of Abolition

“…Academics should reorient themselves to listen to those on the ground doing the grassroots work of developing imaginative responses to harm. Rather than assuming that we are the holders and creators of knowledge, scholars must deconstruct this false binary and work alongside activist communities in the pursuit of real transformation of not only the criminal legal system, but the material conditions that support the system (Battle & Serrano, 2022).…”

“…Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology "Everything I Believe in Is Rooted in Love": Women and Non-Binary Activists of Color Fighting for the Practice and Promise of Abolition 26foregrounding the voices, experiences, and visions of those most impacted by the conditions under study, especially those struggling under and against the oppressive forces of the carceral state(Battle & Serrano, 2022).The Combahee River Collective (1977) reminded us, "We believe that the most profound and potentially most radical politics come directly out of our own identity. … If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all systems of oppression."…”

Introduction to the special issue on theorizing families, anti‐racism, and social justice

“…The second is to consider historically mainstream (e.g., positivist practitioners) and historically othered practitioners' (e.g., critical theorists) core understandings of what constitutes Family Science as well as the beliefs and actions guided by their differential core understandings. Battle and Serrano (2022) propose a Du Boisian paradigm for family science that, with its social justice orientation, is capable of identifying, contextualizing, and responding to oppression. Such a paradigm also recognizes the importance of the carceral state and racial capitalism and aims to transform the conditions that produce harm.…”

Intersectional blackness matters: Why family science should care about the College Board's A.P. African American Studies course controversy

“…Family Science has come to understand the importance of challenging a white‐centered conceptualization of family. Recent publications in the Journal of Family Theory & Review bear this commitment (Allen & Henderson, 2022; Battle & Serrano, 2022; Bonilla‐Silva, 2023; Edwards, 2022; Jones et al, 2022), but there is always more work to be done in presenting a broader picture of families and their experiences. For example, the ideological regime of intersectional anti‐blackness continues to justify institutionalized inequality that ultimately shapes the real, material, daily life chances of Black people.…”