Attachment perspectives on race, prejudice, and anti-racism: Introduction to the Special Issue

ABSTRACT

Central to attachment theory is the idea that behavior in close relationships can best be understood in context. Although decades of research have illuminated cross-cultural patterns of caregiving and attachment, there remains a critical need to increase research with African American families, examine the specific sociocultural context of systemic anti-Black racism, and integrate the rich theory and research of Black scholars. The goal of this special issue is to bring together attachment researchers and scholars studying Black youth and families to leverage and extend attachment-related work to advance anti-racist perspectives in developmental science. The papers in this special issue, highlighted in the introduction, illuminate pathways of risk and resilience in Black children, adolescents, and families and point to the protective power of relationships (and the limits of such protection) for mental and physical health. We highlight critical questions to guide ongoing dialogue and collaboration on this important topic.

KEYWORDS:

• Attachment
• racism
• anti-racism
• African American families
• Black youth development

Acknowledgments

We are grateful to the community of people who made this special issue possible. First, we extend our gratitude to the authors who contributed their knowledge, time, and thoughtful reflections to write these important papers. In addition, we thank Lisa Berlin, Angel Dunbar, Megan Fitter, Roger Kobak, Esther Leerkes, Arietta Slade, and Susan Woodhouse for their helpful reviews. We are especially grateful to Howard Steele for his excellent feedback, support, and encouragement to pursue this special issue. Preparation of this volume was supported by a Dean’s Research Initiative seed grant from the University of Maryland College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (grant no. DRI-L1-2018 to Cassidy and Stern), and by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number F32HD102119 (to Stern). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).