Hip-Hop Pedagogy, Epistemic Disobedience, and Youth Engagement in West Africa
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University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations Summer 2020 African, Know Thyself: Hip-Hop Pedagogy, Epistemic Disobedience, and Youth Engagement in West Africa Noella Binda Niati Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education Commons Recommended Citation Niati, N. B.(2020). African, Know Thyself: Hip-Hop Pedagogy, Epistemic Disobedience, and Youth Engagement in West Africa. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/ 6072 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AFRICAN, KNOW THYSELF: HIP-HOP PEDAGOGY, EPISTEMIC DISOBEDIENCE, AND YOUTH ENGAGEMENT IN WEST AFRICA by Noella Binda Niati Bachelor of Arts Nebraska Wesleyan University, 2007 Master of Arts University of Rochester, 2011 ____________________________________________________ Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Foundations and Inquiry College of Education University of South Carolina 2020 Accepted by: Payal Shah, Major Professor Kara Brown, Committee Member Anuradha Chakravarty, Committee Member Birgitta Johnson, Committee Member Breanne Grace, Committee Member Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School © Copyright by Noella Binda Niati, 2020 All Rights Reserved. DEDICATION To the members of Y’en a Marre and FESCI ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It took a village to write this dissertation. I am forever grateful and humbled by the support I received from my committee, professors, family and friends alike, who have supported me throughout my studies. I am proud to have been trained and guided by my committee of five badass women. They have inspired, motivated, and pushed me to think critically, consider my research identity, and find my strength as I undertook this project. Thank you Birgitta for pushing me to expand my understanding of Hip-Hop pedagogy. Kara and Bre refocused my theoretical framework and discussions on civic education and I am forever thankful for the talks, emails and meetings to push me to my best self. I am fortunate to have had Anu’s help to better frame my research approach. I am incredibly thankful to my advisor, Payal, who has been a source of inspiration, support, and guidance as I embarked on my doctoral journey. Thank you for having my back and looking out, even when I didn’t know it. This journey would not have been possible had it not been for Doyle Stevick and his incredible faith in me. Through him I have been mentored, supported and guided by an incredible and supportive faculty. To my GJMPP mentor, Michelle Bryan for keeping it real and giving me space to grow. Thank you for helping me reframe and contextualize my research agenda. To Madame Sidibe, for being a formidable teacher and scholar. Thank you for taking me in while I was in Dakar and teaching me more outside of the classroom. Had it not been for Prof. Sambou’s diligence and patience, I would not iii have made it very far with my interviews and research questions. To Kiel Downey for always having my back and supporting me as I have grown in my professional and academic endeavors. I am incredibly humbled by the support I received from Jen Bess at the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs. With her help, I was able to successfully apply for the Boren and Fulbright fellowships. To Madame Kanté at the Ministry of Higher Education in Abidjan for her flexibility and support of my research work. My research in Abidjan would not have been possible without my research assistants – Mr. Kanate, Audrey, Rama, Moussa, Olivier, Konate, and Theodore. Your hard work, eagerness to develop new skills, and patience to translate, explain and contextualize added incredible depth to my understanding of this study. To Mr. Kanate, I am especially thankful for your motivation which always inspired me. To my dear friend and colleague, Vieux Touré, words cannot express how much your guidance, advice and support have meant to me. Thank you for looking out, always. Finally, to my EDFI family, I’m so happy to have studied, learned and grown with you. Many other friends, colleagues, and mentors warrant acknowledgement, and to all of them, I express my deepest gratitude. To my family and friends for their continued love and support. This has not been an easy road and at times seemed like it was never ending. I can’t believe we made it! Thank you for the care packages, prayers, words of advice and wisdom. I thank my parents for being there for me even when I took my own path. And to my sister and brothers, thank you for your fervent support and laughter. Lastly, I would like to thank the U.S. State Department and the Fulbright Public Policy program, the NSEP Boren Fellowship program, the University of South Carolina’s iv College of Education, and the Grace Jordan McFadden Professor’s Program for their generous support. I thank the West African Research Center, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Unversité Cheikh Anta Diop, and Université Félix Houphouët Boigny for their support. And, to the students, Yenamarristes and Fescists who opened their worlds to me. Without your incredible support, my work in Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire, would not have been possible. v ABSTRACT This dissertation was a 23-month comparative case study of Y’en a Marre, a civic organizing movement based in Dakar, Senegal and FESCI, a student organization in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. This study investigates the ways in which these organizations view Hip-Hop and its pedagogical utility as a means to encourage socialization, promote authenticity, and foster leadership. Through Hip-Hop, young people are drawn to a cultural expression that reflects the social, economic, and political realities of their lives speaking to them in a language and manner they understand. This is critical given sub- Saharan Africa’s tremendous youth population and their potential impact on the continent. Utilizing a transnégritude theoretical framework, this study situates Hip-Hop pedagogy and epistemic disobedience as vehicles of expression impacting language, identity, and engagement as a means to decolonize and liberate from dominant narratives. To articulate Hip-Hop pedagogy as an effective tool for engagement, a comparative case study methodology was employed study to consider the macro, that is the social, political and historical dynamics that have shaped and influenced young people, education and engagement; and the micro—the multilayered lived realities of young people in West Africa. By focusing on young people as an asset, this study considers young people to be at the helm of social change, playing a crucial role in curtailing corruption, migration, and political instability. The influence and notoriety of organizations such as Y’en a vi Marre and FESCI, illustrate the impact of a Hip-Hop pedagogy that not only heals but promotes leadership, ownership, and autonomy. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION .................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 Context .............................................................................................................................6 Literature and theoretical framework .............................................................................15 Research design - Comparative Case Study ...................................................................15 Contributions ..................................................................................................................16 Overview ........................................................................................................................17 CHAPTER 2: OUTTA HERE: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE REVIEW ......................................................................................19 Introduction ....................................................................................................................19 Transnégritude ................................................................................................................20 Epistemic Disobedience .................................................................................................27 Civic and citizen education ............................................................................................32 Hip-Hop, transnégritude, and epistemic disobedience ...................................................35 Hip-Hop as Pedagogy .....................................................................................................38 Hip-Hop and language ...................................................................................................44 viii Hip-Hop and Identity .....................................................................................................54 Hip-Hop and engagement ...............................................................................................58