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Black Feminist Discourse Analysis of Portrayals of Gender Violence Against Black Women: a Social Work Dissertation

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Black Feminist Discourse Analysis of Portrayals of Gender Violence Against Black Women: a Social Work Dissertation Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2016 Black feminist discourse analysis of portrayals of gender violence against Black women: A social work dissertation Avina Ross Virginia Commonwealth University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd Part of the African American Studies Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Social Work Commons, and the Sociology Commons © Avina Ichele Ross Downloaded from https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4578 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact libcompass@vcu.edu. © Avina Ichele Ross 2016 All Rights Reserved Black feminist discourse analysis of portrayals of gender violence against Black women: A social work dissertation A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University by Avina Ichele Ross Doctor of Philosophy, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016 Master of Science in Sociology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, The College of William and Mary, 2009 Chair: Elizabeth P. Cramer, PhD Professor, School of Social Work Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA November 2016 Acknowledgements My dissertation was produced and written in dedication to my beautiful son, Langston Rise Ross-Lawrence. To Langston: I hope this work serves as an inspiration for you to find joy, purpose and love in your future aspirations. Never settle for less and always see through the end of your projects without compromising your integrity, vision or spirit. Remember, to rise at all times. Mommy loves you, for always and always. I was blessed to have several individuals in my personal and professional circles support the development of this research in so many ways. So, I am going to take time and space to express my appreciation in writing. This was a project I envisioned as an undergraduate student so the constant folks in my inner circle, my most profound champions, deserve the upmost recognition. I’d like to thank my mother and father, Michele and Alvino Ross, Jr., for their undying love and support. Mom, thank you for being the number one bearer of my constant analysis during and outside this project. Your encouragement of me as a young child to always question the things that were rarely challenged has molded me into a critical thinker, no doubt. Thanks for letting me ask, “why?” Dad, RIP, thank you for always making sure I was physically and emotionally nourished as I studied. I doubt I would have made it through so many long nights of reading and writing without your groundbreaking sweet, iced tea ☺, or your sense of pride, which I always strived to maintain in your eyes. I hope this work makes you proud. Special thanks goes to my baby sister, Avencia, for reading all of the papers that led up to my dissertation, as well as the dissertation itself. Thank you for being my confidant when I was faced with numerous challenges in trying to produce and complete this work. (This is why there is no one better to serve in the role as Langston’s godmother.) And to the three of you, Mom, Dad and Avencia, thank you for keeping me grounded, challenging my thinking to push me harder and constantly reminding me why I pursued a Ph.D. I love you. A few friends have encouraged me immensely before, during and I’m sure will continue to, after this project. Aleshia, my best friend, my sister from different parents, I thank you for reading my work with an unwavering attention to detail. Thank you for making me laugh, after my many episodes of yelling at the television screen in frustration of what I saw and during our late night talks. I’d also like to thank Wendy and Heather for keeping me on my feminist toes and Cynthia for reminding me of my inner strength and brainpower. And to my partner, Michael, thank you for being the breath of fresh air I needed when I arose (or took countless breaks) from my work as well as for giving me the space I needed to finish. I love you all! ii Dr. Karen Polonko, thank you for introducing me to sociology and activism in such a way as you shared with me the fundamental language I needed to articulate how I saw the social world. Thank you, RIP, heart-to-heart. Dr. Kathleen Slevin and Dr. Kathleen Jenkins thank you for supporting my early scholarly development and for making sure I worked hard for the grades I earned in your classes. I’d also like to acknowledge my dissertation committee members, Drs. Nicole Lee, Rowena Briones Winkler, Shelby McDonald and Kellie Carlyle. Thank you for your contributions and commitment to my project. I truly appreciate each of you. Special thanks goes to Dr. Elizabeth “Liz” Cramer, who served as my dissertation chair and faculty advisor. Liz, thank you for being my advocate during my program! I needed you and am ever grateful for you. And lastly, but not least, a distinctive level of appreciation goes to the women, children and men who shared their traumatic stories with me. You are all survivors in your own right. I am honored to have known you. Your experiences and voices will continue to propel my work. In solidarity and with love, Avina iii Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction/Dissertation Structure............................................................................................. 1 Reflexive Statement.................................................................................................................... 2 Rationale for the Study ............................................................................................................... 4 The Study.................................................................................................................................... 8 Theoretical Approaches ............................................................................................................ 10 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 17 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature.............................................................................................. 18 Gender Violence Portrayals in Media....................................................................................... 18 The Victim Stereotype and Archetype...................................................................................... 22 Black Female Representations in Black Popular Culture......................................................... 29 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 36 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 38 Methods for Media Research.................................................................................................... 38 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 44 Chapter 4: Study Data and Findings ............................................................................................. 46 Films’ Synopses........................................................................................................................ 46 About the Findings.................................................................................................................... 50 Controlling Image Model of Gender Violence ......................................................................... 51 iv Additional Findings .................................................................................................................. 77 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 88 Chapter 5....................................................................................................................................... 90 Study Summary......................................................................................................................... 90 Study Limitations...................................................................................................................... 92 Concluding Assertions from the Study..................................................................................... 94 Recommendations for Future Film Production....................................................................... 100 Social Work Implications ....................................................................................................... 104 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 107 References................................................................................................................................... 109 Appendix A:................................................................................................................................ 131 Appendix B:...............................................................................................................................
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