Date of Award
8-23-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
African American Studies
Advisor(s)
Joan Bryant
Keywords
Activism;Blackness;British
Abstract
Configurations of Blackness: Stories of British Activists explores the configurations of Blackness amongst contemporary Black British activists and their significance in resistance against injustice. It employs oral histories, archives, and participant observation to document narratives of Black Britons whose activism has employed varied configurations of Blackness and sits within a history of resistance amongst Black people in Britain. The thesis is particularly concerned with three primary themes: the localization of racial oppression within global anti-Blackness, the incorporation and challenging of the intersectionality of race, class, and gender, and the implications of political Blackness in Black activist realms. While Black activism in Britain has historically not garnered the same attention as activism in the U.S., it has long been a vibrant phenomenon that continues into the present. The project complicates configurations of Blackness that may be assumed and highlights activists whose stories highlight factors not often considered in popular arenas. The narratives illustrate the complexities in configuring Blackness as a basis for activism. The resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020 offered a glimpse into the anti-racist activism that exists in Britain today. Stories of this contemporary activism, using historical acts of resistance further illustrate how Black British activists are configuring Blackness as a. Ultimately, the work seeks to further research into Black Britons and political identities, complicating understandings about the boundaries of Blackness in activism.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Grant, Jala A., "Configurations of Blackness: Stories of British Actvists" (2024). Theses - ALL. 893.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/893
