Crossing the trussle: Epistemological resistance in maternal healthcare

Abstract This article explores epistemological resistance among Black Southern women navigating reproductive healthcare in rural Alabama. Drawing on Black feminist thought, oral history, and autoethnography, I introduce “trusslework” which is a methodological framework grounded in memory, spatial movement, and refusal. The article centers on personal and communal narratives that illuminate how rural Black women resist harmful medical systems by relying on ancestral knowledge and community care networks. Anchored in both ethnographic interviews and intergenerational family memory, the piece offers a methodological contribution to feminist anthropology and reproductive justice scholarship. Ultimately, it argues that such resistance is not reactive but strategic and historically grounded.