Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Communication

Committee Chair

Antonio de Velasco

Committee Member

Katherine Hendrix

Committee Member

Christina Moss

Committee Member

Earnestine Jenkins

Abstract

This is a case study examining the impact three historical events had on six current and former Black residents from Haywood County, Tennessee. The rhetorical examination, which includes oral narratives, media texts, and historical accounts, focuses on how these individuals maneuvered through the social and political restrictions set in place during a period of racial segregation from 1940 to 1965. The qualitative study includes reflections of lived experiences in the rural South and resistance to the laws that restricted Black freedom. Study participants provide insight into three events that have been largely suppressed and bring forth counternarratives that frame how Black residents reclaimed their voice amid attempts to silence them. The events include the lynching of Elbert Williams, a federal lawsuit by local Black activists to register to vote, and the desegregation of public schools in Haywood County. The repercussions from each of these events present opportunities to explore the power dynamics of restriction and resistance in a predominantly Black county during the Jim Crow era and the Civil Rights Movement. Reflexive observations by the researcher add to the contextualization of hegemonic principles and Black agency that coexisted in the region where she grew up. Additionally, this study highlights the process of how rhetoric can serve as a guiding force in research and sometimes shift the direction of inquiry.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open Access

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