California State University, San Bernardino CSUSB ScholarWorks Theses Digitization Project John M. Pfau Library 2007 Images and lyrics: Representations of African American women in blues lyrics written by black women Danette Marie Pugh-Patton Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project Part of the African American Studies Commons, Ethnomusicology Commons, and the Mass Communication Commons Recommended Citation Pugh-Patton, Danette Marie, "Images and lyrics: Representations of African American women in blues lyrics written by black women" (2007). Theses Digitization Project. 3235. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3235 This Project is brought to you for free and open access by the John M. Pfau Library at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses Digitization Project by an authorized administrator of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. IMAGES AND LYRICS: REPRESENTATIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN BLUES LYRICS WRITTEN BY BLACK WOMEN A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Communication Studies by Danette Marie Pugh-Patton December 2007 IMAGES AND LYRICS: REPRESENTATIONS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN IN BLUES LYRICS WRITTEN BY BLACK WOMEN A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State University, San Bernardino by Danette Marie Pugh-Patton December 2007 Approved by: Date Dr. Nathan Carter ABSTRACT The purpose of this thesis is to examine to what extent representations of double jeopardy and the stereotypical images of African American females: Mammy, Matriarch, Sapphire, and Strong Black Woman emerge in the blues lyrics of Alberta Hunter, Gertrude 'Ma' Rainey, Memphis Minnie, and Victoria Spivey, using the theoretical framework of Black feminist rhetorical critique.