Date of Award
Summer 7-17-2012
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
African-American Studies
First Advisor
Jonathan Gayles
Second Advisor
Makungu Akinyela
Third Advisor
Kya Reaves
Abstract
This exploratory qualitative study describes the criteria that African American Literature professors use in defining what is African American Literature. Maulana Karenga’s black arts framework shaped the debates in the literature review and the interview protocol; furthermore, the presence or absence of the framework’s characteristics were discussed in the data analysis. The population sampled was African American Literature professors in the United States who have no less than five years experience. The primary source of data collection was in-depth interviewing. Data analysis involved open coding and axial coding. General conclusions include: (1) The core of the African American Literature definition is the black writer representing the black experience but the canon is expanding and becoming more inclusive. (2) While African American Literature is often a tool for empowerment, a wide scope is used in defining methods of empowerment. (3) Black writers should balance aesthetic and political concerns in a text.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/3097023
Recommended Citation
Gibson, Ebony Z., "Art for whose Sake?: Defining African American Literature." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2012.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/3097023