Built with Empty Fists: The Rise and Circulation of Black Power Martial Artistry during the Cold War by Maryam K. Aziz A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (American Culture) in the University of Michigan 2020 Doctoral Committee: Associate Professor Matthew J. Countryman, Chair Associate Professor Victor Román Mendoza Associate Professor Sherie M. Randolph, Georgia Tech University Associate Professor Stephen Ward Maryam K. Aziz
[email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-2006-4285 © Maryam K. Aziz 2020 DEDICATION To my Nana, Dr. Winfred Barbee, who passed away just as I finished prelims and defended my prospectus. Thank you for helping to raise me, for all the years of laughter, rigor, and Black culture, and for being the first person to see me submit this dissertation, perched from your hallowed place atop my desk. To Aura Rain Rosser, who lost her life shortly after I arrived in Ann Arbor. If not for state violence, you may very well have become the doctor instead of me, but you certainly would have grown old. And to all the Black women, cis, trans, and non-binary, who have lost their lives but now fly over us. You are the real warriors. #SayHerName ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I could not have written this project without the figures included in its pages. They told their own stories and created their own archives. I picked up a story already told and, like my favorite detectives, listened to those who lived it. I thank everyone that showed me that martial arts, movement arts, and healing movements are woven into the fabric of human cultures.