Educated Blackwoman, can you Self-actualize? Open Access

Abstract

As a pseudonym for socialization, education maintains structures of dominance. Education offers knowledge of obedience, and opportunity for some, but at fundamental costs for Blackwomen. In this project, I investigate the impact of the socialization of education on the self-actualization of Blackwomen. I argue the source of disparities in the wellness of Blackwomen is trauma-inducing socialization from their education. Existing factors to be considered include the societal climate which facilitates internalized gendered racialized oppression for Blackwomen as well as the strict set of stereotypes and expectations which hyper-label, hyper-surveil, and hyper-punish Blackwomen within the education system. From these factors, trauma is created and reinforced. Although the study results are intended to support or refute my hypothesis about the education system, results will not be generalized beyond the specific context of Blackwomen's experiences with education; this is the purpose of my investigation.

I will address literature from the following disciplines to demonstrate the historical precedents, the current climate, and any hopes for a better future: philosophy, African philosophy, Black philosophy, political philosophy, African American studies, anti-colonial and diaspora studies, Black feminist theory, Black queer studies, Black visual studies, comparative race and ethnic studies, critical race theory, critical media literacy, clinical psychology, social psychology, civil rights and social justice scholarship, cultural geographic studies, cultural theory, education theory, education policy theory, epidemiology, epistemology, gender bias research, intercultural communication and discourse analysis, legal scholarship, linguistics, political activist theory, psychiatry, social justice advocacy and scholarship, social theory, sociology, sociocultural linguistics, womanist theory. The overall goals of this investigation are to give an overview to the history of socialization and the education system, to address the movements, groups, and policies that have worked to improve the experiences of Blackwomen, and lastly to gain greater understanding regarding the current experiences of Blackwomen via the narratives from interviews. For the interviews, specifically, the primary aim is to collect the experiences of Blackwomen educated in America and the secondary aim is to compare these experiences to the research and my hypothesis to ultimately draw conclusions.

Table of Contents

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 1

That’s Not for You ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1

           Historical Precedents Persist ………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

           How to Self-actualize …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Chapter 1: How Did We Get Here? An Overview of Socialization …………………………………………… 10

           Constructions of Identity and Socialization ………………………………………………………………… 10

General Conception of One’s Identity …………………………………………………………….. 10

                       Socialization …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13

           Blackness, according to Whiteness …………………………………………………………………………….. 15

           Blackwomanhood: Struggle and Pain is the Rite of Passage ……………………………………….. 17

Chapter 2: Schooled in Socialization. A Culture of Compliance and Competition …………………… 21

           Practices of the American Education System ……………………………………………………………… 21

                       Replication of Societal Oppression …………………………………………………………………. 21

The US Education System as a Total Institution ………………………………………………. 22

Unconscious or Implicit Bias …………………………………………………………………………… 25

Not Learning …………………………………………………………………………………………………... 30

Chapter 3: Treadmill Strides toward Change …………………………………………………………………………. 34

Examining a system in need of disassembly ……………………………………………………………….. 34

Teacher Education: Mind the Gap ……………………………………………………………………………… 35

Policies! Programs! Progress? ……………………………………………………………………………………. 37

           Mentorship …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 38

Restoring Order… I mean Justice ……………………………………………………………………. 40

What’s next for you? ……………………………………………………………………………………… 43

Chapter 4: Human Check-In …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 45

           Twice as Hard, Half as Good ………………………………………………………………………………………. 46

                       Experiences that unite us ……………………………………………………………………………….. 46

Love Yourself, Respect Your Worth ………………………………………………………………… 55

           How to find your passion …………………………………………………………………………………………… 57

                       Despite the pressure to settle ………………………………………………………………………... 57

Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 82

Interview Questions ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 84

Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 86

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Philosophy
Degree	B.A.
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Philosophy African American Studies Education, Philosophy of
Keyword	Linguistics Psychiatry Civil rights and social justice scholarship Social theory Intercultural communication and discourse analysis African American studies Black visual studies Epidemiology Legal scholarship Cultural geographic studies Black queer studies Clinical psychology Political philosophy Sociology Black philosophy Womanist theory Social psychology Anti-colonial and diaspora studies Political activist theory Cultural theory Critical media literacy Gender bias research Black feminist theory Critical race theory Education policy theory Epistemology African philosophy Social justice advocacy and scholarship Comparative race and ethnic studies Education theory Sociocultural linguistics
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Dilek Huseyinzadegan, PhD, Emory University
Committee Members	Vanessa Siddle Walker, EdD, Emory University Calvin Warren, PhD, Emory University

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