The Intersections of Wakanda Aspects of Intersectionality As Presented in the Marvel Blockbuster Black Panther
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Independent project, 15 credits The intersections of Wakanda Aspects of intersectionality as presented in the Marvel blockbuster Black Panther Author: Drilon Behrami Supervisor: Anna Thyberg Examiner: Anna Greek Term: VT19 Subject: English Level: GIII Course code: 2ENÄ2E Abstract The following essay analyzes Marvel blockbuster Black Panther with an intersectional lens, discussing relations of power, oppression and discrimination through the fictive society of Wakanda. The findings present similar factors of intersectionality to that of most western societies, with gender, sexuality, aptitude and tribal affiliations as the main factors of identity. The essay argues for the inclusion of culturally loaded films in the EFL classroom, with the intention of introducing students to intersectionality through a fictive society, in an effort to promote better understanding of relations of power, oppression and discrimination, whilst also including education on different types of language usage Key words Intersectionality; Black Panther; Relations of Power; Oppression; Discrimination; Upper Secondary School; English 7; EFL classroom Acknowledgments My greatest appreciation goes to Anna Thyberg for the continuous guidance throughout the creation of this paper. Above all else, Anna should be recognized for her professional, yet empathetic nature. To John Borglin, thank you for your help and company during this process. Table of contents 1. Introduction 1 1 Intersectionality, superheroes in film and the EFL classroom 3 1.1 Intersectionality 3 1.2 Gender studies 5 1.3 Literature regarding superheroes 6 1.4 Black Panther and Intersectionality in the EFL classroom 7 2 Intersectionality in Black Panther 10 2.1 Gender as a factor 11 2.2 Heteronormativity and Ableism – a lack of diversity 12 2.3 Tribal relations 14 2.4 Conclusive discussion 15 3 Pedagogical Implications 17 3.1 Gender equality shrouded in ambiguity 17 3.2 A distinct lack of representation 18 3.3 Trans-tribal migration and the lack thereof 19 3.4 Summary 20 4 Works cited 22 1. Introduction “Let me tell you this . I was born in Oakland. The first Black Panthers I ever heard about were the ones putting streetlights up and feeding the children” (Coogler) Black Panther is a Marvel blockbuster from 2018 revolving around the soon-to-be king T’Challa, who is ruling over the fictive African society of Wakanda. To the rest of the world, Wakanda is the average third-world country with little to no political capital. However, Wakanda is actually a society which is highly advanced in regard to technology, medicine and economy. Though the film celebrates African culture in many ways, it does not glorify it. The film was directed by Ryan Coogler who considers himself an African born in the United States, specifically highlighting his appreciation of his heritage. The cast largely involves actors of African descent and the film highlights various aspects of several cultures in Africa, exemplified by the various tribes, wearing clothing and trinkets inspired by African societies. Coogler himself mentions the inclusion of strong female characters in the film, of which he drew inspiration from his own life. This is exemplified by T’Challas mother as well as the tribe’s elders, as Coogler tried to frame the plot according to what he perceived to be the norm in the African-American household, i.e. the aunts and uncles providing the younger generation with guidance. With this in mind, Coogler provides the viewer with a platform for the dialogue of what it means to be African. This can be seen as a major narrative in the film, as T’Challa struggles with the question of sharing their advancements with the rest of the world. Furthermore, Coogler explains that the intent was to create a superhero with whom black children could better identify, making connections to the political organization “Black Panthers” which continues to be a polarizing topic of conversation in the U.S. Coogler, however, makes positive references to the organization, noting its protection and education of Black individuals in the United States of America. In some ways the film follows the typical trends of superhero-movies, exemplified by the standard righteous protagonist trumping the irrational and hateful antagonist in the end, though it also offers opportunity for discourse on relevant subjects related to critical theory as well as gender studies. One specific theory which will be applied to this study is intersectionality which is best explained as a concept, coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw, in critical theories to describe the ways in which oppression of various kinds interact and multiply the degree of oppression (304). As they are interconnected, they should not, and cannot fully, be 1(22) analyzed separately. As intersectionality involves societal relations, its incorporation in the classroom directly correlates with what the curriculum demands be a part of education. The following paragraph will provide clarity regarding said theory. To understand the term intersectionality, one can consider the analogy of an intersection, with the roads leading up to the intersection representing sexism and racism. Consider a woman standing in the middle of the intersection. She is a Black woman being denied employment at a local car manufacturer. She claims to be discriminated against, but the court of law finds the car manufacturing company to be innocent, since they do in fact employ Black workers. The court of law also fails to find any gender discrimination, since the employer employs women workers. In the judicial sense, the Black woman is not being discriminated against. However, through the lens of intersectionality, we can understand that though the company employs Black workers, all of them are male. Whilst the company also employs female workers, all of them are White. It becomes clear that even though the company follows the existing laws, the Black woman in this example is indeed discriminated against. Even though the company employs black workers as well as female workers, it appears to not employ black female workers. As such, intersectionality can be seen as the relations between various aspects of oppression and discrimination and how they multiply the levels in which individuals face prejudice and hardship of various kinds. With that theory in mind, the aim of this paper is to argue for the inclusion of culturally loaded films such as Black Panther in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. Films in which relations of power, oppression and discrimination are intertwined with sensitive narratives such as peacekeeping contrasted to revenge on one’s oppressor offer students the platform to discuss identity and belonging related to the socioeconomic welfare state Sweden. One can study such relations presented in Black Panther through the lens of intersectionality, by analyzing aspects of intersectionality in the fictive world of Wakanda and providing examples in which such aspects directly correlate to oppression specifically related to the unique circumstances surrounding Wakanda. In a multicultural society consisting of people from all parts of the world, one can make use of this film in the EFL classroom to implicitly strengthen pride in students’ cultural heritage, whilst also promoting the general democratic notions of pragmatic peacekeeping and compromise at the same time. As these ideas are tacitly presented to the students through the plot of the film, one can actively work on discussing the relations of power in the western societies, and how such structures can be handled collectively to counter oppressive and discriminatory structures. This is something that aligns with the 2(22) curriculum for upper secondary school in Sweden. It clearly states the need to incorporate subjects involving societal norms as well as cultural aspects of life. Furthermore, the curriculum demands that students be treated equally regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation, which again aligns with the general narrative of the film (Natl. Ag. f. Ed. 1). This study will argue for gender, sexual orientation, ability and tribal affiliations as main factors of intersectionality in the fictive world of Wakanda. It will reveal how relations of power, oppression and discrimination are represented in regard to these aspects of identity. It will also present an analysis of how Black Panther could be used in the EFL classroom, providing an insight into how it could be implemented in the course of English 7 specifically. 1 Intersectionality, superheroes in film and the EFL classroom The purpose of the following section is to make distinctions regarding what intersectionality refers to as well as provide an insight into how it will be implemented in this particular study. It will also detail aspects of gender studies, as it is highly relevant to intersectional studies. Furthermore, this section will deal with stereotyping in literature, literature regarding superheroes and potential problems involving teaching through literature in the EFL classroom. The purpose is to create a foundation for the upcoming analysis by creating a map of the relations between intersectionality, literature and the EFL classroom. 1.1 Intersectionality As mentioned in the peer-reviewed journal Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, the term intersectionality first gained traction, rooted in Black feminism and Critical Race Theory, when used by professor Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw of Columbia Law School and UCLA School of Law (Crenshaw et.al 303). She was the first person to introduce intersectionality in the context of feminism, highlighting the fact that being a black woman cannot be understood in terms of being black as well as a woman independently, and that one must consider how these factors of identity interact (Crenshaw et al. 304). Crenshaw addressed these ideas in what is now considered a landmark essay “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics” in 1989. Intersectionality was used to address the marginalization of Black women within antidiscrimination law as well as feminist and antiracist theory and politics.