Graduation Term

2020

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Department of Educational Administration and Foundations: Educational Administration

Committee Chair

Pamela Twyman Hoff

Abstract

This research study explored the resilience of 8 Black women faculty teaching at historically white institutions (HWIs). Crenshaw's (1991) intersectionality, Ladson-Billings and Tate, (1995) critical race theory, and resilience theory are the three theoretical frameworks used in this study to examine the experience of Black women faculty in HWIs. The purpose of this study was to address these experiences to advance the conceptual understanding of resilience as a form of resistance. The research methodology selected involved a qualitative study that used narrative inquiry as a platform for Black women faculty to share their personal narratives and examined the strategies that supported their success while teaching at HWIs. From the in-depth interviews with the participants, four themes emerged: (a) resistance, (b) community, (c) stereotypes, and (d) unwritten rules. It was through these themes that resilience as a form of resistance developed. The emergent themes provided strategies for Black women faculty at HWIs. The resilience strategies that Black women faculty used as resistance included their scholarship, activism, mentorship, allyship, community, Black women disruptions, and being accountable for others. It is through Black women's resilience and strength that profoundly roots their uniqueness as a Black woman to propel and succeed in HWIs.

KEYWORDS: intersectionality, community, resilience, resistance, and mentorship

Access Type

Dissertation-Open Access

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2020.Hester.J

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