University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 1-1-2020 Post-Soul Speculation: An Exploration Of Afro-Southern Speculative Fiction Hilary Word Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Recommended Citation Word, Hilary, "Post-Soul Speculation: An Exploration Of Afro-Southern Speculative Fiction" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1817. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/1817 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. POST-SOUL SPECULATION: AN EXPLORATION OF AFRO-SOUTHERN SPECULATIVE FICTION A Thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Southern Studies The University of Mississippi by HILARY M. WORD May 2020 Copyright © Hilary M. Word 2020 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ABSTRACT This thesis is an examination of female authored, post-soul, Afro-Southern speculative fiction. The specific texts being examined are My Soul to Keep by Tananarive Due, Stigmata by Phyllis Alesia Perry, and Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. Through exploration of these texts, I posit two large arguments. First, I posit that this thesis as a collective work illustrates how women-authored Afro-Southern speculative fiction based in the post-soul era embodies and champions womanist politics and praxis critical for liberation through speculative elements. Second, I assert that this thesis is demonstrative of how this particular type of fiction showcases the importance of specificity of setting and reflects other, often erased facets of African American identity and realities by centering the experiences of contemporary Black Southerners.