Date of Award

5-10-2026

Date Published

June 2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Cultural Foundations of Education

Advisor(s)

Gretchen Lopez

Keywords

Black Educators;Black Feminisms;Embodiment;Felt Sense;Somatics

Abstract

This qualitative study utilizes semi-structured interviews and healing circles—online communal gatherings that emphasize deep listening and vulnerability. These circles incorporate somatic prompts (body-based cues) and grounding exercises to foster a connection between the mind and body. By exploring visual imagery, colors, and textures alongside sensory experiences of resistance and aliveness, the study explores the embodied experiences of Black educators in predominantly white institutions (PWIs) of higher education who teach academic courses focused on race, racism, and racial justice. The study is grounded in a Black feminist epistemological framework of the felt sense, that emphasizes the body, including emotions, sensations, and lived experiences as a form of knowledge production, a source of power, and a tool for embodied transformation (Lorde, 1984; 1988; 1997). Through reflexive thematic analysis, this study focuses on two areas of inquiry: (a) What embodied experiences (including sensations, feelings, memories, and urges) resonate for Black educators when teaching about race, racism, and anti-racism in PWIs? and (b) How do these educators reflect upon and engage with liberatory healing practices that incorporate somatic methods to foster a healing-centered educational praxis? Findings from the study highlight the negotiation of embodied stressors associated with symptoms of racial battle fatigue (RBF; Smith, 2004; Smith et al., 2006; Smith et al., 2016) with teaching and the embedded narratives depicting resistance and pathways toward embodied reclamation through the felt sense. Specifically, findings demonstrate the impact of racial microaggressions from students, challenges of navigating predominantly white classroom and campus spaces, resistances encountered from students expressed in student course evaluations, and the pedagogical decisions made by supervising faculty, all of which contribute to stress-related embodied sensations among Black educators. These reported bodily experiences range from characterizations and metaphors such as feeling a “stone in the gut,” a “hole in the chest,” or a sensation of being under a “spotlight.” Conversely, moments of feeling most alive were associated with teaching and facilitating meaningful learning experiences for students, particularly for students of color, as well as with being recognized by students and colleagues for their expertise as faculty and in relation to their social identities (e.g., race and gender) and maintaining a sense of hope amid struggle. Participants characterized these bodily experiences through metaphors such as the warmth of the sun and the sweetness of honey to express their joy and hope. Ultimately, these findings confirm that bodily experiences of Black educators exist on a diverse, dynamic spectrum that ranges from deep internal sensations to external stimuli, including racism, to complex survival coping strategies from enduring racism. Overall, this study contributes to scholarship in critical race theory, teaching and learning, and embodiment studies, focusing on trauma healing, microaggressions, microaffirmations, and feminist pedagogy.

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Open Access

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Available for download on Thursday, June 17, 2027

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