Granny Midwives and Black Women Writers: Double-Dutched Readings
By Valerie Lee.
Description
Midwives, women healers and root workers have been central figures in the African American folk traditions. Particularly in Black communities in the rural south, these women served vital social, cultural and political functions. It was believed that they possessed magical powers: they negotiated the barrier between life and death and were often regarded as the "knower" in a community. Today even as medical science has discredited or superseded their power, granny midwives have resurfaced as pivotal characters in the narratives of contemporary African American literature. Granny M...
ISBN(s)
0415915082, 9780415915083