X

Dissertation Defense Announcement

The College of Education announces the Final Dissertation of

Ashley Payne

for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

March 30, 2018 at 1:00 PM in Room 205, Ball Hall

Advisor: Dr Denise Winsor

"Can you hear me now?": Hip-Hop, Identity Development, and Personal Epistemological Worldviews of Black Girls

ABSTRACT: Hip-hop has been shown to be a significant force of identity, knowledge, and cultural development, particularly for Black youth (Brown, 2009; Emdin, 2010; Hill, 2009; Love, 2012). Building on research surrounding identity and knowledge development within hip-hop, this Black/hip-hop feminist research study seeks to understand the role that hip-hop plays in the lives, identity and personal epistemology of Black adolescent girls. The following research questions will be answered: (1) What role does hip-hop (i.e., rap, dance, and graffiti) play in the lives of black girls? (2) How does hip-hop inform gender identity for Black girls? (3) How does hip-hop inform racial and gendered identity for black girls? (4) How do black girls negotiate their gender identities through hip-hop? (5) How does hip-hop inform black girl's personal epistemologies and worldviews? This study includes 6 Black girls from an urban city in the mid-southern region of the United States. Pre-post semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and researcher journals were collected and analyzed using thematic analysis (Saldana, 2016). Results showed evidence for the following themes: hip-hop as a coping mechanism, hip-hop as a critique of hegemonic ideologies of Blackness and Black girl/womanness, hip-hop as community, and hip-hop as negotiating knowledges. This research study demonstrates the importance of hip-hop in promoting resiliency, challenging/critiquing/creating racial and gender identities, and using hip-hop as a community for learning.

Youvisit Pixel

The University of Memphis uses cookies in order to enhance your website experience. Visit our Website’s Cookie Policy for more information on how the UofM uses cookies. I understand that by clicking “I agree” and/or continuing to use this website, I agree to the UofM’s use of cookies. More information >