Research summary
Researchers have explored the narratives of fugitive slaves in North America to learn about their lives, but the transnational aspect of Black Canadian women’s experiences deserves more attention. Dr. Nancy Kang, Canada Research Chair in Transnational Feminisms and Gender-Based Violence, is investigating how gender influenced racialized, sexual and structural violence against women during and after the migration of American fugitive slaves to Canada in the late 18th century and 19th century.
She and her research team are analyzing narratives by former Canadian and American slaves and using a border-conscious, transnational, woman-of-color, feminist lens to understand the impacts of flight and resettlement on these women. They are also comparing reconstructions of cross-border women’s experiences by contemporary African Canadian and African American writers. Their work will shed light not only on these women’s experiences with racism, economic hardship, homesickness and depression, but also on motherhood, sexual violence, love and bonding within these communities.