THROUGH MAMA'S EYES ( UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES IN SOUTHERN MATRIARCHY )

"Through Mama's Eyes: Unique Perspectives on Southern Matriarchy looks at the concept of Southern matriarchy and how it has influenced American society. In 2016 the Ernest J. Gaines Center hosted a public program that explored the way women used physical space in literature. This program included the creation of a "house" based on how architecture students interpreted the needs of the matriarchs in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Color Purple. That program created many discussions of how the term matriarch is understood and applied, especially in the southern regions of the United States. Those conversations quickly dovetailed into topics not related to literature and served as a springboard for this book. Southern matriarchy is something that has been idolized and parodied in popular formats, such as movies and film, and the purpose of this book is to explore all of the faceted interpretations of southern matriarchy and its impact on our society. This book contains 18 interdisciplinary essays that each look at the way standard tropes of southern matriarchy are interpreted and challenged through literature, history, and the sciences. Every contributor has a fascinating and interesting perspective on the topic, and each writer has spent innumerous hours carefully crafting their essay to illuminate a different facet of Southern Matriarchy as they perceive it. Out of respect for the expertise of every contributor to this book and the nature of their topic, the capitalization of race (i.e: Black and White) when used in their essays was left to their discretion. A brief biographical note, which includes the authors' specific scholarly areas of interest is included at the end of each essay. Like the program that inspired the book, each essay can be used as an invitation to engage deeper conversations and research about Southern Matriarchy, and its perceptions as a whole. No one essay completely answers the question "what is Southern Matriarchy?" nor was that ever the intent. The sheer vastness of these multifaceted and ever-evolving topics of matriarchy and, specifically, southern matriarchy, ensure their continued study, contemplation, and unique consumption by scholars and the general public alike. To assist in future research, search terms related to each essay are provided and the end of each piece. This book is a compilation of curiosity and intrigue surrounding a societal structure that has influenced so many aspects of so many cultures across America, The Southern Matriarch"--

CHEYLON WOODS is the Head and Archivist of the Ernest J. Gaines Center, which is located at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Mrs. Woods has actively worked to assist in the preservation of rural African American communities and the stories of the Matriarchs who worked tirelessly to hold those communities together.

KIWANA T. MCCLUNG is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana native, an Associate Professor in the School of Architecture & Design at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and faculty advisor to the UL chapter of NOMAS, the student organization for National Organization for Minority Architects (NOMA). Kiwana’s research concerns the socio-spatial intricacies of our increasingly globalized and multicultural societies and how they affect the built environment, architectural education, and the profession.