HORHN, ERICA-BRITTANY M., Ph.D. Sassy Subversions, Knowing Glances, and Black Women’s Laughter: Moving Towards a Black Woman’s Pedagogy of Humor. (2020) Directed by Dr. Leila Villaverde. 218 pp. Sassy subversions, knowing glances, and Black women’s laughter is a qualitative study that examines the nuances of Black women’s humor away from the comedic stage. Additionally, it provides an alternative approach to understanding Black women’s lived experiences. More specifically, it explores the pedagogical proprieties of Black women’s humor suggesting that the everyday Black woman has the potential to be a public intellectual. Through a Black feminist lens, this research analyzes Issa Rae’s HBO series Insecure and uses focus groups to further investigate how Black women use and understand humor. Evidence from this study suggests that some Black women intentionally and unintentionally use humor to critique and alleviate oppressive conditions created by racism and sexism. Black women also use humor to reinforce communal ties through coded language and communicative patterns. As a result, this study builds the foundation for a Black women’s pedagogy of humor that positions humor as a method of survival while sustaining and celebrating cultural connections. Within this pedagogy, Black women’s humor is both an object of study and a set of tools for Black women to strategically use their humor. SASSY SUBVERSIONS, KNOWING GLANCES, AND BLACK WOMEN’S LAUGHTER: MOVING TOWARDS A BLACK WOMAN’S PEDAGOGY OF HUMOR by Erica-Brittany M. Horhn A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Greensboro 2020 Approved by __________________________________ Committee Chair © 2020 Erica-Brittany M. Horhn To the many Black women who share their wisdom with style, grace, and a dash of their own Black women’s humor. ii APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation written by ERICA-BRITTANY M. HORHN has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair _________________________________ Committee Members _________________________________ _________________________________ ____________________________ Date of Acceptance by Committee __________________________ Date of Final Oral Examination iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To my committee, Drs. Rochelle Brock, Kathy Hytten, Elon Kulii, and Leila Villaverde, thank you for building, and sometimes testing, my confidence with the carefulness and consideration needed to groom a budding scholar. I have valued your support and encouragement through this process. To my tribe, India, Loren, Danyka, Julia, Deonna, Zalika, Veronica, Jonica, Shelia, Kendra, Sharon, Drs. Hope Jackson, Faye Maor, and Rhonda Butler thank you for being listening ears, critical eyes, partners in laughter, and sisters in signifyin’. Thank you for keeping me grounded and reminding me to breathe out. To the crew, Oliver, Robert, Lalenja, and LaToya, thank you for laughing and keeping me accountable through this program. At some point we were in the trenches together, and we saw our way through. I cannot think of better people to share in the struggles and to celebrate the triumphs. To my students, past and present, who allow me to be a classroom comedian, even when they realize I’m shy and not cut out for the comedic stage, thank you for constantly asking me about my work and allowing me explore humor from you. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family, the funniest people I know, for giving me a sense of humor and reminding me that I have people even if they seem far away. My parents, James and Brenda, better known as Daddy and Mommy, my brother and sister in love, my aunts, uncles, and cousins, thank you all for your love and patience during this journey. This is for us. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... x CHAPTER I. LAUGHING ALL THE WAY: MY JOURNEY TO HUMOR RESEARCH ................................................................................................. 1 Theoretical Framework: A Black Feminist Approach ............................... 6 A Note on Language ................................................................................ 9 Older Black Millennial Humor and the Coming of Issa Rae.................... 10 Digital Success for Older Millennial Women Who Use Black Millennial Humor ............................................................................... 12 Older Black Millennial Humor in Rae’s Insecure ................................... 16 Providing a Digital Archive for Black Popular Culture ............... 17 Accentuates Black Sensibilities ................................................... 19 Expands Definitions of Blackness While Critiquing Existing Definitions ................................................................ 22 Conclusion and Organization.................................................................. 24 II. IN SEARCH OF BLACK WOMEN’S HUMOR: CREATING BODIES OF WORK AND REVIEWING EXISTING LITERATURE ....................... 26 Black Humor .......................................................................................... 27 Black Performance Studies ..................................................................... 31 Black Performance Studies Celebrate Subjugated Knowledges ............................................................................ 32 Black Performances are Informed by Historical and Social Contexts.................................................................................. 33 [Re]Defining Definitions Blackness ............................................ 34 Traditional Humor Theories ................................................................... 35 Relief .......................................................................................... 36 Superiority .................................................................................. 39 Incongruity ................................................................................. 41 Minoritized Humor ................................................................................. 44 Jewish Humor ............................................................................. 45 Women’s Humor ........................................................................ 48 Black Women Laugh Too: Locating Black Women and Black Feminist Thought Within Humor and Humor Studies ......................... 49 v Generational Research: Who are the American Millennials?................... 54 The Millennial Era: The Sociohistorical Context ......................... 55 Millennials: An Intersection of Race and Age ............................. 57 The Unique Position of the Older Black Millennial Woman and the Need for a Black Women’s Pedagogy Of Humor .......................... 59 Finding Humorous Possibilities Through Pedagogical Practices: Critical Pedagogy and Humor ............................................................. 63 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 66 III. METHODOLOGY, METHODS, AND DESIGN............................................. 68 Textual Analysis .................................................................................... 70 Episode 1 .................................................................................... 72 Episode 2 .................................................................................... 72 Episode 3 .................................................................................... 72 Episode 8 .................................................................................... 73 Data Collection and Analysis for Insecure .............................................. 73 Focus Groups .............................................................................. 79 Focus Group Dynamics ................................................... 86 Focus Group Data Analysis ............................................. 87 Positionality, Trust, and Ethics ............................................................... 88 Limitations to the Study ......................................................................... 91 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 92 IV. DEN DIALOGUES: BLACK WOMEN’S CONVERSATIONS ABOUT INSECURE ................................................................................................. 94 Encounters with Whiteness: “They Just Don’t Get It!” ........................... 95 “Ya’ll Don’t Want all my Black Self like for Real!” ................. 100 “Your Allyship has to Show Up Even When I’m Sleeping!”: Perceptions of Interracial Allyship ..................... 103 Authentic Depictions of Black Women in Life and on the Small Screen ................................................................................... 109 “I Feel Seen but in a Good Way”: Rae’s Reception, Relatability, and Balancing Reality Television Depictions of Blackness ......................................................................... 111 “My Girlfriends, There Through Thick and Thin”: The Importance of Black Women Friendships .............................. 114 Speaking for Ourselves: