Against Criminalization and Pathology: the Making of a Black Achievement Praxis
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 9-2018 Against Criminalization and Pathology: The Making of a Black Achievement Praxis Charles M. Green Sr. The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2876 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] AGAINST CRIMINALIZATION AND PATHOLOGY: THE MAKING OF A BLACK ACHIEVEMENT PRAXIS by CHARLES M. GREEN A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Criminal Justice in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2018 © 2018 CHARLES M. GREEN All Rights Reserved ii Against Criminalization and Pathology: The Making of a Black Achievement Praxis by Charles M. Green This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Criminal Justice in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Date David Brotherton Chair of Examining Committee Date Deborah Koetzle Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Lucia Trimbur, PhD Richard Curtis, PhD THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT Against Criminalization and Pathology: The Making of a Black Achievement Praxis by Charles M. Green Advisor: David Brotherton Ph.D. In social, educational, and criminal justice contexts the statistics and predications centered on Black men and boys can be best described as pathology-laden. To date, the analysis of Black men has been nested in a deficit modular paradigm that remains devoid of a counter- narrative that is representative of those that have defied the statistical probabilities of social and academic failure. Utilizing 29 in-depth, semi-structured interviews in this qualitative inquiry, I explored the life-course narratives of Black male scholars who, as victims of varying manifestations of structural violence, have “beaten the odds” academically. This study’s conceptual and theoretical grounding incorporated accommodation, resilience, and resistance It’s findings revealed that economic disadvantage, exposure to direct violence, family dysfunction, criminal justice disruption, and educational deficits served as the most salient inhibitors of academic success. Findings also suggest that Black men and boys benefit from positive, racially- informed socialization that assists in the development of an internalized identity that: (a) acts as a protective and resistant barrier against some of the impediments of institutional racism, (b) operates as a counter-criminogenic influence, and (c) facilitates educational resilience. The development and nurturing of an ethos of Black resistance, resilience, and achievement is at the iv crux of this study’s findings. Findings from this study will have implications about the development of protective mechanisms, support systems, and interventions that are relevant to facilitating the healthy development of systemically-besieged Black boys. Last, the researcher introduces Criminogenic Resistance Theory (C.RT) as an alternative conceptualization of the process by which Black boys resist the criminogenic influences of structuralized violence. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................ 4 Structuralized Violence ............................................................................................................... 4 Black Poverty .......................................................................................................................... 6 Exposure to Violence ............................................................................................................ 10 Black Academic Outcomes ................................................................................................... 12 Criminal Justice System ........................................................................................................ 14 Black Male Criminal Identity ................................................................................................ 17 Structure vs. Culture .............................................................................................................. 19 Conceptual Framework of Black Male Success ........................................................................ 20 Achievement as Accommodation .......................................................................................... 20 Achievement and Resilience ................................................................................................. 22 Achievement as Resistance ................................................................................................... 24 Critical Race Theory ................................................................................................................. 26 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................................. 27 Social Control–Accommodation ........................................................................................... 27 Resilience Theory .................................................................................................................. 28 Resistance Theory ..................................................................................................................... 30 Social and Cultural Capital ....................................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 34 Methodological Approach ......................................................................................................... 34 Sampling .................................................................................................................................... 34 vi Data Collection .......................................................................................................................... 35 Data Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 37 Trustworthiness ......................................................................................................................... 39 Dependability ............................................................................................................................ 39 Credibility .................................................................................................................................. 39 Transferability ........................................................................................................................... 40 Confirmability ........................................................................................................................... 40 Limitations ................................................................................................................................ 41 Ethical Concerns ....................................................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 4: STE DILEMMA OF CONCENTRATED POVERTY, VIOLENCE, AND IDENTITY, ‘WHERE WE’RE FROM’ ....................................................................................... 42 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 42 Racism and Concentrated Poverty ............................................................................................ 45 Trapped in the Matrix: Normalized Deficiency ........................................................................ 45 From Structural to Direct Violence ........................................................................................... 47 Clear and Present Danger ...................................................................................................... 47 Adapting to Survive .................................................................................................................. 49 The Impact of Street Pharmaceuticals and Moving Weight...................................................... 50 Troubling ‘Family Matters’ ....................................................................................................... 51 Cops and Criminal Justice ......................................................................................................... 53 School Daze ............................................................................................................................... 54 Noticing Difference ................................................................................................................... 57 “I felt less of myself.” ............................................................................................................... 57 vii Summary ................................................................................................................................... 59 CHAPTER 5: BLACK IDENTITY FORMATION, RESISTANCE,