Prof. Gómez Publishes Book on Cultural Betrayal Trauma Theory
What is cultural betrayal, and how does it affect Black women and girls who have survived sexual abuse? Jennifer M. Gómez, PhD, an assistant professor at Boston University School of Social Work (BUSSW), delivers an in-depth exploration of the topic in a new book published by the American Psychological Association.
Titled “The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women and Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing from Sexual Abuse,” the book explores cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT), a framework Gómez developed to describe how sexual abuse perpetrated by individuals’ of one’s own marginalized cultural group exacerbates survivors’ trauma and complicates healing.
The book is primarily for academic and professional audiences, but Black women as well as others in the Black community and those seeking to support them will also find takeaways. In addition to synthesizing research from a wide range of disciplines, Gómez outlines the real-world applications of CBTT, including culturally competent trauma therapy, radical healing in the Black community, and institutional changes to systems that enable racism, intersectional oppression and sexual abuse.
“I have so many reasons to be excited for people to read this book,” Gómez says. “I worked very deliberately to eliminate the White supremacy in my own mind and spirit by unapologetically centering Black women and girls and our experiences of sexual abuse, intersectional oppression, hope, and happiness – without toxic comparison to White folks and without White people as the central audience. That was healing for myself, and I hope [it] resonates with Black women in particular, as well as other people who also are working to exorcise White supremacy from their psyches.”
More information about the book is available on Gómez’ website. The book’s introduction chapter is available for free here, and the full book is available for purchase on the American Psychological Association website.
Listen to Prof. Gómez discuss CBTT and the writing process:
- How We Can Heal Podcast – 2-episode series
- Black Girl Burnout Podcast – 3-episode series
- Speaking Out of Place Podcast – Episode
- Equity & Inclusion Speaker Series – Webinar on the writing process