THE AUDACITY TO IMAGINE ALTERNATIVE FUTURES: AN AFROFUTURIST ANALYSIS OF SOJOURNER TRUTH AND JANELLE MONÁE’S PERFORMANCES OF BLACK WOMANHOOD AS INSTRUMENTS OF LIBERATION A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Jennifer Williams May 2016 Examining Committee Members: Molefi K. Asante, Advisory Chair, African American Studies Heath Fogg-Davis, Political Science Iyelli Ichile, African American Studies C. Amari Johnson, African American Studies Reynaldo Anderson, External Member, Harris-Stowe State University © Copyright 2016 by JenniferWilliams All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT In this study, I examine Sojourner Truth and Janelle Monáe’s identity performances to identify some strategies and tactics Black women use to transgress externally defined myths of Black womanhood. I propose that both of these women use their identity as a liberation technology - a spiritual, emotional, physical, and/or intellectual tool constructed and/or wielded by Africana agents. They wield their identity, like an instrument, and use it to emancipate Africana people from the physical and metaphoric chains that restrict them from reproducing their cultural imperatives. Both Truth and Monáe consciously fashion complex narratives of revolutionary Black womanhood as a way to disseminate their identities in ways that “destroy the societal expectations” of Black womanhood and empowers women to reclaim their ability to imagine self-defined Black womanhoods. I analyze the performance texts of Truth and Monáe using Afrofuturism, a theoretical perspective concerned with Africana agents’ speculation of their futures and the functionality of Africana agents’ technologies. Its foundational assumption is the pantechnological perspective, a theory that assumes “everything can be interpreted as a type of technology.” When examining Africana agency using an Afrofuturism perspective, the researcher should examine the devices, techniques, and processes – externally or intra-culturally generated – that have the potential to influence Africana social development. iii DEDICATION To Mason McKinley Reid and Leon Darryl Williams, Sr. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am a person of few words, so, I want to say that I am thankful to all those who have gotten me to this point. I would like to thank: Stephanie Alexander, Lola Brown, Jenice “Jassey” Alexander, Sherrina Gibson, Mitch Reid, Morgan Carter Reid, Gordon Alexander, Carolyn Williams, Leon Williams, Jr., Zizwe Poe, Evelyn Davis-Poe, Watufani Poe, Jumatatu Poe, Tayarisha Poe, Ambata Poe, Sharnell Poe, Ayinde, Amina, and Adaiah, Lorelle Vaughn, Turquoise Johnson, Ruben Arenas, Carlos, Novella Keith, Georgia Bianchi, Crystal Menzies, Antwanisha Alameen-Shavers, Anyabwile Love, Nashay Pendleton, Daly Guilamo, Jimmy Kirby, Danielle Wallace, Heru Heq M Ta, Serie McDougal, Stephanie Yarbough, Joshua Myers, David Ogum, Valerie Harrison, Garrison Paige, Quest Paige, Christina Harris, Drew Brown, Brandon Stanford, Miciah Yehudah, Clyde Ledbetter, Abu Norman, Aaron Smith, Jessica Hamilton, Mikana Scott, Christopher Roberts, Matthew Simmons, Raven Moses, James Buari, Alice Nichols, Dechana Roberts, Margo Beckham, Laura Levitt, Anthony Monteiro, Muhammad Ahmed (Maxwell Stanford), Abu Abarry, Nathaniel Norment, Sonja Peterson-Lewis, Joyce Joyce, Niambi Carter, Tammey Abner, Stephanie Tschanz, Anne Eckert, Queer People of Color at Temple, Diopian Institute for Scholarly Advancement, students of Spring 2013 and 2014 semesters of the Black LGBT Experience, students of Jamaica Study Abroad 2014 and 2015, John Jennings, Reynaldo Anderson, Alondra Nelson, Janelle Monáe, Sojourner Truth, and the peoples and cultures of Africa and its diaspora in the tangible and intangible realms. v A very gracious word of thanks goes to all those who have said words of encouragement towards my education - from kindergarten to now. A special word of thanks goes to my committee members, Molefi Kete Asante, Amari Johnson, and Heath Fogg-Davis. A tremendous hug goes to my mentor, Iyelli Ichile. A baton is passed to my Afrofuturist colleague, Melanie McCoy. A metaphoric bouquet of flowers goes to the two who helped me grow and remain calm throughout this process, Doñela Wright and Ifetayo Flannery. And a kiss goes to Mjumbe Poe, who believes in me unconditionally. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................III DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. IV ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ V LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... IX CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 Externally Defined Myths, Stereotypes & Controlling Images ................................10 EDMs and Identity Construction ..............................................................................22 Struggling against Stereotypes ..................................................................................27 Overview of Chapters ...............................................................................................36 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY AND METHOD .........................................................39 Methodolgy ...............................................................................................................39 Setting the stage: Africana Studies ................................................39 Afrocentricity .................................................................................42 Afrofuturism ..................................................................................48 Pantechnological Perspective.........................................................80 Method ......................................................................................................................87 Identity Performance as an analytical focus ..................................87 Textual Analysis ............................................................................94 Location Theory .................................................................97 Liberation Technology .................................................................102 Sojourner Truth and Janelle Monáe .............................................112 Afrofuturism and Africana Women ........................................................................124 CHAPTER 3: SOJOURNER TRUTH .............................................................................129 Images of Black womanhood in 1830-1870 ...........................................................131 As Grotesque ................................................................................135 As Property ..................................................................................136 In Abolitionist Literature: As Sadistic Pornographic ...................139 vii Biography ................................................................................................................143 Literature about Sojourner Truth and her imagery .................................................148 Truth’s liberation technologies ...............................................................................155 An agent for Liberation ................................................................155 Truth becomes Truth ....................................................................160 The Narrative ...............................................................................175 Truth makes herself into an icon ..................................................186 End ...............................................................................................195 CHAPTER 4: JANELLE MONÁE .................................................................................198 Images of Black womanhood 2004-2014 ...............................................................200 Biography ................................................................................................................215 Literature about Janelle Monáe’s technologies .......................................................217 Monáe’s liberation technologies .............................................................................227 Agency for Liberation ..................................................................227 Monáe’s Folklore technology ......................................................234 The Tale of Mayweather ..............................................................245 The Power of the Speculative ......................................................256 Clothing as a Liberation Technology ...........................................265 Sankofic Clothing ........................................................................272 Others wear the Monáe ................................................................275 End ...............................................................................................282 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................285 Future research ........................................................................................................286 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................291