Date of Award

May 2019

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

African American Studies

Advisor(s)

Linda Carty

Keywords

Afrocentric, Carceral State, Chicago, Historical Materialism, Institutional Racism, School to Prison Pipeline

Subject Categories

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

African American men have been dying at an alarming rate for many years. Issues such as violence, prison, education success rates, and health related issues, as well as institutional injustice, have been significant factors in these physical and mental deaths of African American men. The purpose of this research is to investigate the correlation, if any, between the quality of life of African American men in urban cities and their level of Afrocentric knowledge. To what extent does the exposure of Afrocentric knowledge affect the views or help African American men avoid these deaths? This research will present preliminary ideas based upon a review of the literature on Black masculinity, criminalization, the carceral state and the educational institution. During the summer of 2018 I conducted interviews with African American males ages 18-32 from the city of Chicago who have been exposed to Afrocentricity through education to gain an understanding of how this knowledge has influenced their ability to confront and combat structural racism. I also interviewed African American males ages 18-32 from the city of Chicago who have a history with the criminal justice system, to get an understanding of how the criminal justice system has altered their lives, and how Afrocentricity may also have affected their lives. This research contributes to long standing debates on the prevalence of African-inspired beliefs and practices within the African American community by examining the impact of Afrocentric knowledge on black males’ quality of life.

Access

Open Access

Share

COinS
 
 

To view the content in your browser, please download Adobe Reader or, alternately,
you may Download the file to your hard drive.

NOTE: The latest versions of Adobe Reader do not support viewing PDF files within Firefox on Mac OS and if you are using a modern (Intel) Mac, there is no official plugin for viewing PDF files within the browser window.