Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Date
2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Educational Psychology & Research
Committee Chair
Susan Nordstrom
Committee Member
Beverly Cross
Committee Member
Alison Happel-Parkins
Committee Member
Andre Johnson
Abstract
In this critical race theory (CRT) autoethnographic arts-based study, I used autoethnographic arts-based methods (i.e. poetry and photography) to examine my experiences growing up as a Black male in an urban city in the Northeast in order to examine how I navigated between the physical spaces of school and neighborhood and how that shaped my understanding of Black masculinity, including the dominant narratives of underachievement, tough neighborhoods, and the proclivity to violence associated with it. I aimed to answer the following research questions: 1) How did the physical spaces of school and neighborhood contribute to my systemic oppression and my perception of the systemic oppression of other Black males in my immediate social circle? 2) How did Black masculinity manifest in the physical spaces of my school and my neighborhood? 3) How did I contribute to the Black masculinity narrative of my school and neighborhood in the context of physical space? I utilized poetic inquiry and photographic inquiry to produce knowledge centered on the intersection of Black masculinity and physical space. The data analysis was grounded in the tenets of CRT: 1) The intercentricity of race and racism with other forms of oppression, 2) The utilization of interdisciplinary approaches, 3) The challenge to dominant ideology, 4) The centrality of experiential knowledge, and 5) The commitment to social justice (Johnson-Ahorlu, 2017, p. 731). The research findings were represented through a gallery-inspired, arts-based autoethnographic presentation that included original works of poetry and photography. These findings generated counternarratives that opposed the dominant narratives that once shaped my past perspectives of Black masculinity and physical space. Keywords: critical race theory, Black masculinity, physical space, autoethnography, arts-based research
Library Comment
Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest
Notes
Embargoed until 7/3/2024
Recommended Citation
Sisnett, Derwin, "The Built Environment: An Autoethnography of Black Masculinity and Physical Space through the Use of Poetic and Photographic Inquiry" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2961.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/2961
Comments
Data is provided by the student.