Mothers and Sons: Centering Mother Knowledge

Besi Brillian Muhonja, PhD, is an associate professor of Africana studies, women's and gender studies, and African literatures and cultures at James Madison University. Her teaching and extensively published research covers gender and feminist studies and theory, Africana feminisms, motherhood studies, decolonial knowledges, digital humanities, and African literatures and cultures.Wanda Thomas Bernard, PhD, is a social worker, educator, researcher, community activist, advocate, and mentor. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Saint Vincent University, a masters of social work degree from Dalhousie University, and a PhD from the University of Sheffield in England. She served as director of the Dalhousie School of Social Work for ten years and has been a faculty member for over twenty-six years, now at the rank of full professor. Bernard's research interests include work on health and well-being, women's health, mothering, othermothering and otherfathering, education, and diversity. Thomas Bernard has received numerous awards, certificates and recognition over the years for her trendsetting work and effective community leadership, most notably the Order of Nova Scotia and the Order of Canada. She was recently appointed special advisor in diversity and inclusiveness at Dalhousie University.