Neoteric Intellectuals: How African Americans Navigate and Exercise Agency at Predominantly White Institutions

Chalet Jean-Baptiste

Advisor: Douglas Eyman, PhD, Department of English

Committee Members: Paul Rogers, Mark Hopson, Linda Mann

Online Location, https://gmu.zoom.us/j/99736160727?pwd=WWZjYmxkdUhNU0dqdWdXc1NvcDdzZz09
April 23, 2024, 01:00 PM to 03:00 PM

Abstract:

In our policital and cultural climate, where America is recovering from a pandemic, affirmative action is no longer the law of the land, DEI programs are being cut, and African American history and heritage are being denied and eradicated, how do African Americans navigate intellectual spaces? This dissertation explores African American intellectualism. How do African American leaders obtain a seat at the table, are they accepted for their cultural and social capital once they get there? Can African Americans be a part of a predominately white institution (PWI) and maintain agency? What responsibility does the PWI have to the African American intellectual? How do they navigate microaggresions, and what are the strategies and tools needed  to employ persistence and be successful in spaces where they are the minority?

This dissertation examines the rhetorical practices and methods that African American leaders  employed as they navigated their education and experiences at PWIs. The qualitative study is an examination of a series of interviews from four African American leaders and one from the Black diaspora. The results support many of the recommendations currently acknowledged in intellectual spaces, like mentoring, transformational leadership, and the importance of diverse pedagogical and educational experiences. In addition, the results highlight some less considered factors such as upbringing, community, innate persistence, and other internal and external factors that contribute to the success of these African American and Black leaders.