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The Pennsylvania State University the Graduate School School of Behavioral Sciences and Education the MERGING of the PERSONAL AN

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The Pennsylvania State University the Graduate School School of Behavioral Sciences and Education the MERGING of the PERSONAL AN The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School School of Behavioral Sciences and Education THE MERGING OF THE PERSONAL AND THE COLLECTIVE: REIMAGINING BLACK NATURAL HAIR CARE DIGITAL SPACES AS SITES OF CRITICAL PUBLIC PEDAGOGY A Dissertation in Lifelong Learning and Adult Education by Amber M. Sessoms © 2017 Amber M. Sessoms Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education December 2017 ii The dissertation of Amber M. Sessoms was reviewed and approved* by the following: Robin Redmon Wright Associate Professor of Lifelong Learning and Adult Education Dissertation Advisor Chair of Committee Professor-in-Charge Elizabeth J. Tisdell Professor of Lifelong Learning and Adult Education Adnan Qayyum Assistant Professor of Lifelong Learning and Adult Education Peter J. Kareithi Associate Professor of Communications and Humanities *Signatures are on file in the Graduate School iii ABSTRACT Adults learn and develop in various contexts, which affect how they construct and reconstruct aspects of their identities. Such identity construction and reconstruction can occur through mediated or unmediated means. Within the context of this study, adult identity development through unmediated learning within digital spaces is analyzed. Specific to this study is Black natural hair care blogs (BNHCBs) that developed at the precipice of the “natural hair” movement, which inspires Black women to wear their hair in its natural (i.e., non- chemically process or straightened, kinky/curly) state. To this, Black feminists, such as bell hooks, argue that the natural hair movement is also a movement of resistance to maintain the status quo, especially Eurocentric standards of beauty. This counterhegemonic perspective can greatly impact one’s learning and identity development, specifically within the context of digital spaces, such as YouTube, Facebook, and various blogs that support dynamic, user-generated content. As such, this qualitative research study examines Black female identity development through the medium of blogging within the online learning communities of BNHCBs. In particular, this is a qualitative media content analysis (QMCA) and critical discourse analysis (CDA) of blog posts and comments from BNHCBs. Additional sources of data are in-depth, semi-structured interviews with blog commenters (i.e., blog readers who post comments). The following questions guide this study: (1) What discursive practices do the bloggers use to facilitate identity formation and critical consciousness in their readers, as a means of engaging in resistance?; (2) What discursive practices do the blog commenters use in response to the bloggers’ practices that indicate identity formation and critical consciousness toward resistance?; and (3) How do the blog commenters’ online personalities align with their offline personalities? iv The findings related to the first two research questions are organized in four principles related to the analyzed BNHCBs. First, is the politics of representation, which highlight the themes of: (a) the importance of Black affinity spaces; (b) the fetishizing of Black women’s bodies; and (c) the deconstruction of the angry Black woman trope. Second, is the critical analysis of popular culture and media that highlights: (a) the lack of self-ethnic reflectors of Black women and (b) deconstructs the commodification of natural hair. Third, is the BNHCBs as a journalistic sociopolitical intervention, which emphasizes: (a) Black women’s sense of agency; (b) the normalization of natural hair; and (c) critical reflection of media messages. Fourth, is the dialogic exchange of information on BNHCBs manifested in: (a) initiating and maintaining conversations and (b) positioning blog commenters as the experts. Moreover, the analysis of participant interviews and their recent blog posts attend to the third research question, and not only manifest the same four principles identified above but also demonstrate how closely the participants’ online and offline identities align. The study ends with implications of the findings for theory and practice within the field of lifelong learning and adult education. It also outlines the limitations of the study and makes suggestions for future research. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ x LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... xi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER 1 ................................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 1 Background to the Problem ............................................................................................................ 4 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................................. 12 Purpose and Research Questions .................................................................................................. 13 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................. 13 Critical Race Theory ................................................................................................................. 14 Feminist Engagement with Critical Race Theory ..................................................................... 15 Critical Public Pedagogy ........................................................................................................... 16 Critical Public Pedagogy Informed by Black Feminist Thought .............................................. 18 Overview of Design and Methodology ......................................................................................... 18 Blog Content and Interview Data .............................................................................................. 19 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................................. 20 Assumptions of the Study ............................................................................................................. 22 Limitations and Strengths of the Study ......................................................................................... 23 Definitions of Terms ..................................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 2 ................................................................................................................................. 28 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................................. 28 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................. 31 Critical Race Theory ................................................................................................................. 31 Feminist Engagement with Critical Race Theory ..................................................................... 40 Critical Race Theory within Adult Education ........................................................................... 41 Critical Public Pedagogy ........................................................................................................... 44 A Radical Understanding of Adult Development ..................................................................... 57 Womanist Identity Development Theory .................................................................................. 60 Black Feminist Thought ............................................................................................................ 61 Blogging and Informal Online Learning Communities ............................................................ 62 Merging of the Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks ......................................................... 66 vi Racializing the “Other” ................................................................................................................. 67 Historical Racial Archetypes as Controlling Images of Black Women .................................... 68 Black Natural Hair Care Blogs ..................................................................................................... 71 Methodology of Review of Black Women’s Identity Development within Popular Culture....... 73 A Conceptual Look at Black Women’s Identity Development within Popular Culture ........... 73 A Research-Based Look at the Construction of Black Women’s Identity ................................ 81 Review of Blogging to Enact Consciousness-Raising and Social Action .................................... 86 Black Women’s Identity Development within Adult Education .................................................. 94 Implications for Adult Educators and Researchers ....................................................................... 96 Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 98 CHAPTER 3 ..............................................................................................................................
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