An Imperfect and Incomplete Quest for Freedom: an Extended Case Study of Black American Counter-Framing and Resistance Strategies
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Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Sociology Dissertations Department of Sociology 12-15-2016 An Imperfect and Incomplete Quest for Freedom: An Extended Case Study of Black American Counter-Framing and Resistance Strategies Angela Luvara Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss Recommended Citation Luvara, Angela, "An Imperfect and Incomplete Quest for Freedom: An Extended Case Study of Black American Counter-Framing and Resistance Strategies." Dissertation, Georgia State University, 2016. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/sociology_diss/90 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Sociology at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AN IMPERFECT AND INCOMPLETE QUEST FOR FREEDOM: AN EXTENDED CASE STUDY OF BLACK AMERICAN COUNTER-FRAMING AND RESISTANCE STRATEGIES by ANGELA LUVARA Under the Direction of Rosalind Chou, PhD ABSTRACT Through this study, I aim to expand the body of knowledge related to Black counter- framing strategies employed in the United States. In this extended case study, I examine the ways in which young Black cis-hetero male creators living in Atlanta, Georgia employ the use of counter-frames to navigate and resist the dominant white racial frame. Specifically, I analyze their use of double consciousness, freedom, and alchemical capitalism as counter-frames as resistance. I advocate for a nuanced approach to examining resistance strategies that includes embracing imperfect and incomplete acts of resistance. By examining these resistance strategies, despite their faults, perhaps we can continue working toward a more complete eradication of oppression. INDEX WORDS: White racial frame, Spirit murder, Systemic racism, Black resistance, double consciousness AN IMPERFECT AND INCOMPLETE QUEST FOR FREEDOM: AN EXTENDED CASE STUDY OF BLACK AMERICAN COUNTER-FRAMING AND RESISTANCE STRATEGIES by ANGELA LUVARA A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University 2016 Copyright by Angela Luvara 2016 AN IMPERFECT AND INCOMPLETE QUEST FOR FREEDOM: AN EXTENDED CASE STUDY OF BLACK AMERICAN COUNTER-FRAMING AND RESISTANCE STRATEGIES by ANGELA LUVARA Committee Chair: Rosalind Chou Committee: Wendy Simonds Jonathan Gayles Electronic Version Approved: Office of Graduate Studies College of Arts and Sciences Georgia State University December 2016 iv DEDICATION To anyone on the journey to discover their authentic self, and anyone who has been afraid to take that first step. I know that fear all too well. It was a liar. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend a sincere thanks to Dr. Rosalind Chou for all of her help throughout this process, and for anticipating the types of encouragement I needed to complete this project. Thanks to both Dr. Chou and Dr. Wendy Simonds for exposing me to countless pieces of critical scholarship that fed my radical soul and let me know there is space for me in academia. I owe thanks to Dr. Chou, Dr. Simonds, and Dr. Jonathan Gayles for being a small handful of professors who allow me to be myself. Thank you for helping me work toward the best version of myself as opposed to forcing me into a mold that I want no parts of. Thank you for your support, comments, and questions. They have made this project better than it ever could have been had I worked alone. My thanks cannot end without going far back in time to cover the many sources of my knowledge production that exist outside academia. First, I must thank my parents for crafting what could possibly be the most diverse experiences two children growing up in West Virginia could have—especially for a family of four on two schoolteachers’ incomes. I thank my mother for showing me—with example after example—the importance of recognizing inequality and giving all that you can to mediate its effects. I thank my father for letting me follow him around every football season, and for showing me that family extends far beyond blood relatives. I thank each and every Potomac State football player from 1983 through the last season of PSC football in 1999. Each and every one of you shared pieces of your life with me that sculpted me in ways that are so integral to who I am. You offered me the foundation for my understanding of structural oppression and this is an invaluable gift. vi Words could never truly encompass the vast gratefulness that I hold for the next people that I wish to thank, but I will try anyway. My most profound and intense gratitude goes to every young person that I have shared space with, especially in my years of field work. I could never list them all but I would like to name a few: Ke’Sean, Bri’ana, Tiffany, Dee Dee, Larry, Brandon, Helen, James, Gem, Cecily, Trishanda, and more recently Alma, Raheem, Willie, and Julien. Each of you, and the many more not listed here, have taught me more about the impacts of structural oppression than any textbook or professor ever could. You have graciously shared your lives and experiences with me in very personal ways, though I did nothing to deserve this generosity. The knowledge that I hold because of your generosity allowed me to complete this project, allows me to impact others through teaching, and allows me to live a life in genuine pursuit of spreading radical love. None of this would be possible without the things I learned from you, and though I do not say it often enough out loud, I acknowledge that to myself every single day. I hold such a deep gratitude for each of the men who agreed to participate in this study. Each of you not only allow this project to exist but also inspire me to strive to welcome my most authentic self into my life every single day. That is a gift that I could never repay. Finally, I want to end my acknowledgements by recognizing the women who support and enable these men to pursue their passions in so many ways, and often go unnoticed. Bianca, Tayla, Annisah, Debbie, Sienna, Mia, Tasha, Barb, Viv, Neesha, and many others: I recognize you and value you. Each of you provides invaluable support to these influential men, while also engaging in your own freedom walk and influencing and healing others through your own work. You are truly amazing and inspiring, and without you, none of this would be possible. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... V LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... X 1 CHAPTER 1: THEORY AND METHODS ................................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION TO THE PROBLEM ............................................................... 1 1.2 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS ....................................................................... 9 1.2.1 CRITICAL RACE THEORY ................................................................................... 9 1.2.2 SYSTEMIC RACISM AND THE WHITE RACIAL FRAME .................................... 11 1.2.2.1 White Institutional Space ....................................................................... 12 1.2.2.2 White Social Space ................................................................................. 12 1.2.2.3 Internalized White Habitus .................................................................... 12 1.2.2.4 Legible Black Masculinity ....................................................................... 13 1.2.2.5 The Violent Personal Impact of Systemic Racism .................................. 14 1.2.3 COUNTER-FRAMING AND THE HISTORY OF BLACK AMERICAN RESISTANCE 17 1.3 METHODS .................................................................................................. 21 1.3.1 EXTENDED CASE METHODOLOGY ................................................................. 22 1.3.1.1 Sampling ................................................................................................ 23 1.3.1.2 Data Collection ....................................................................................... 30 1.3.1.3 Data Analysis ......................................................................................... 32 1.4 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 33 2 CHAPTER 2: RESISTING SPIRIT MURDER THROUGH DOUBLE-CONSCIOUSNESS ... 35 viii 2.1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 35 2.2 DOUBLE CONSCIOUSNESS .......................................................................... 38 2.2.1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF DOUBLE-CONSCIOUSNESS ...................................... 39 2.2.1.1 The Intentional Development of Double Consciousness in Black Social Spaces ............................................................................................................... 40 2.2.1.2 The Development of Double Consciousness through Experience in White Space ............................................................................................................... 50 2.2.1.3 The Dialogical Nature of the Development of Double Consciousness ... 54 2.2.1.4 Spirit Strengthening through the Development of Double Consciousness ..............................................................................................................