When They See Us: Black Misandry, Black Joy, and the Importance of Black Brotherhood at a Predominantly Black Institution
Collins Bernard McCrary
Citations
Abstract
Much of the research on Black men in higher education has been aimed at “fixing” the student from a very monolithic lens of Black male masculinity and identity. Previous literature has focused on the study of white college men at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). This study centers these men’s lived experiences at a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI). The intersectional approach used in this study borrows offers a critical analysis for rethinking intersectionality and masculinities in the lives of Black men on campus. This study interrogates the social, structural, and institutional forces that impact the Black male undergraduate collegiate experience and adds to the growing body of literature of Black men as gendered beings at a Predominantly Black Institution. Using 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews coupled with two 5-person focus groups, this dissertation captures the individual and collective experiences of Black men on campus. The major themes that emerged in my findings included complex individuality, duality of masculinity, discrimination, belonging and brotherhood, Black joy, and collective voice of Black men. My participants in the individual and focus group interviews expressed varying and often paradoxical experiences as Black men on campus, which speaks to the notion that because Black men exist with multiple identities, they employ a range of masculinities to navigate social and academic settings at a PBI. My study adds to a growing body of literature that highlights the importance of marked spaces and identity-specific programs and initiatives that shape how my participants at this PBI navigate and make meaning of their experiences of being Black and male on campus
