Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Instruction & Curriculum Leadership

Committee Chair

Beverly Cross

Committee Member

Sara Benson

Committee Member

Susan Nordstrom

Abstract

This autoethnographic study explored how culture and upbringing influenced my approach to respectability politics professionally, the coping strategies I used to deal with microaggressions regarding respectability politics in the workplace, and how the demands of respectability expectations affected my personal life. This autoethnographic study also explored how the normalizing influence of the dominant culture played a role in my professional identity development. It used personal narratives and reflections to examine how these expectations shaped professional identity, coping strategies, and the emotional and physical toll of workplace respectability politics. This study contributes to current research on respectability expectations in professional spaces. The implications of my research contribute to academic, professional, and social realms while also offering contributions to hip-hop feminist theory, Black feminist thought, and human resource policies. The study applies bringing wreck in hip-hop feminism (Pough, 2004) to corporate spaces, extends Black feminist thought’s concept of self-definition (Collins, 1990) to corporate spaces, and addresses how microaggressions in the office can adversely impact wellness. Keywords: Blackgirl, the culture of dissemblance, fucking with the grays, hegemony, identity shifting, intersectionality, microaggression, respectability politics, strong Black woman, stereotype threat, tokenism.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

PDF

Notes

Open access.

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