Author: admin

This paper should be rooted in intersectionality and afropessimism
below ill add some afro pessimist sources Afro-Pessimism(Book)- Frank B. Wilderson
Ontological Terror(Book)- Calvin L. Warren
The Case of Blackness(Paper)- Fred Moten
The Social Life of Social Death: On Afro-Pessimism and Black Optimism(Paper) – Jared Sexton
Introduction to Metaphysics(Book) Jared Heideggar
Blackness and Nothingness(Paper) Fred Moten “We’re trying to destroy the world” Anti-Blackness & Police Violence After Ferguson- Frank Wilderson Interview
William David Hart. (2018). Constellations: Capitalism, Antiblackness, Afro-Pessimism, and Black Optimism. (Paper)
Black Op(Paper) – Fred Moten
Ante-Anti-Blackness: Afterthoughts(Paper)- Jared Sexton
The Abolition of White Democracy(Book)- Joel Olson
Nothingness without Reserve: Fred Moten contra Heidegger, Sartre, and Schelling(Paper)
Black Nihilism and the Politics of Hope(Paper) – Calvin Warren
Abstract
In this thesis research paper, I endeavor to hone in on the convergence of our gender binary and African American Cis-Womanhood. By using a combination of foundational and contemporary academic papers, I aim to shed light on how the binary under which the United States and the world currently live serves to hinder and dehumanize black cis-gendered women, impeding them from fully exercising their rights, protections, and social standing, which are given to non-black and white cisgender women. This study is guided by an intersectional theoretical framework in aim of a conceptual analysis on how historical constructions of African American femininity interact with the many layers of intersecting identity markers to contribute to the experience and manifestation of discrimination today for the African American cis woman. The present work locates the dynamics at the center of interest to provide insight into the complex ways by which the gender binary shapes and reconfigures experience for African American cis women in society.
Descriiption of the topic
The research aims to demonstrate that American cis black women of all stripes, are (1. Disproportionately discriminated against by society in line with the definition of gender, (2. That this phenomenon is inherently an intended consequence of the formation of the modern day gender binary. This creates a clear path for black women who are perceived as out of the gender binary by definition. The geographic focus for this study is the United States, covering mostly the African-American communities where discrimination based on race intersects with gender, unjustly becoming a contributor towards compound inequality.
The paper aims to present theoretical frameworks to the history that revolves around the gender binary impact on cis African American womanhood in the US. Prompted by contemporary events; In this case, the #SayHerName campaign, which was asub movement of BLM which highlighted the compound victimisation of black womanhood. The paper gestures to a societal cue to make African American cisgender women a subject of more acedemic focus. Exploring and potentially expanding the intersectionality of race, gender, and social identity, historically it seeks to make sense of the complexities and complications to be found between the oppressions of racism and sexism through conceptual and intersectional means. In these regards, the research of societal standards or expectations on what notions of femininity meant in African American Cultural History does much to continue a pressing concern for many: the perpetual erasures and struggles faced by black women.
Keywords: African American women, cisgender women’s, binary system, black women
Relation with Previous Courses
The gender binary has its philosophical and foundational basis in the Eurocentric worldview, which historically has treated the rigid system of norms dictating appropriate behavior and roles in society according to perceived biological sex. The community of African Americans themselves has subjected black femininity to its ways of devaluation and dismissal, given the stereotyping of African American women as hypersexual, aggressive, and deviant by nature. My research paper is closely tied to courses I have attended during my undergraduate studies. Specifically, The Making of Crucial Differences in the 21st Century which proffered a foundation grounded in intersectionality theory, which is a multidisciplinary one that gives the complexity of race, gender, and social identity. Moreover, courses that engaged in social perceptions and the subsequent manifest outcomes, specifically Policy and Politics, gave me the right analysis of the perception of the system of oppression and tackling issues with marginalized communities. These courses thus paved the way for the research, whose ultimate goal is to combine the collected knowledge and analytical ability in a rigorous investigation of one of the subcategories of the systemic discrimination system – an aspect of African American feminism.
Research Question and Sub-Questions
The primary research question that propels this study is: how historical constructions of African American femininity interact with the many layers of intersecting identity markers to contribute to the experience and manifestation of discrimination today for the African American cis woman. To address this question in replete fashion, several sub-questions will be explored: What are the hegemonic historical constructions of femininity?
How do historical constructions of African American femininity contribute to the perpetuation of discrimination in modern society how do intersecting identity markers such as race, gender, class, sexuality, and ability influence the construction of African American femininity?
What roles did stereotypes, media representations, and cultural narratives play in shaping these constructions?
What are the contemporary manifestations of discrimination faced by African American cis women?
How have societal perceptions of African American femininity evolved over time, particularly in the context of slavery, segregation, the Civil Rights, and SayHerName?
What are the limitations of single-axis analyses in addressing the experiences of African American cis women, and how can intersectionality help to deepen our understanding?
Literature Review
The gender binary is a concept that bifurcates the people into two sexes: male and female, based upon observable characteristics of sex (Beauvoir, 1949, p. 25). Historically constructed, It dates from ancient civilization where division in terms of gender existed. Socially, rigid gender roles are long standing and enacted based on apparent physical differences in regards. Legal systems, religious teachings, and cultural traditions institutionalized and further legitimated traditional gender relations (Crenshaw, 1991, p. 37). For example, during the industrial revolution, the expectations of society to remain constant in gender role, as reinforced through mass media, education systems, and workplace dynamics (Laqueur, p. 78). These continuous aspects of gender aimed at continuing the existing power relations and the perpetuation of the inequalities from gender (Brah & Phoenix, 2004, p. 82).
The roots of binary gender ideology allow us analyze the way in which constructs of binary gender systems interact with race, class, and other social identities to make experiences of discrimination and marginalization (Thomas 2020, p. 55). My research examines African American femininity, the cultural heritage of the Black woman and the resilience needed in completing the Black female experiences associated with race and gender within the complex of social identity (Scott, 1986, p. 106). An interdisciplinary study of sociology, gender studies, and African American studies/hisory to incorporates those at the margins is the purpose of intersectionality in order to dismantle structural barriers and promote pursuits of social justice, understanding, and equity (Crenshaw, 1991, p. 127).
These papers hone in on how, throughout time, racism and sexism based on gender have manifested through the stereotypes of the masculinized “strong black woman” and the “Jezebel” at present, targeting their impact on the general views, portrayal, and treatment of black women in US society. Moreover, the authors hilight the fact that the Black population is diverse in experiences and identities, which provides room for race to intersect with gender, class, and sexuality (Hoskin, 2020, p. 232). Scholars who engage in the study of African American femininity understand that such work “allows room for the complexities of issues of identity, resistance, and empowerment, which are perennially part of the knowledge of relatively ‘marginal’ populations” (Moreira, 2020, p. 163). This literature brings to the fore the need to defy monolithic narratives and lift up voices of Black cisgender women in the project of creating a new society (Coleman, 2023, p. 75).
Theoretical Framework
Kimberlé Crenshaw explains how individuals do not experience oppression and privilege in isolation but rather through the overlapping and intersecting systems of power and discrimination; Further, that ifferent social categories work together with regard to individual experiences and identities, such as race, gender, class, and sexuality, and the obscales and oppurtunity that arise in regard to your standing in a theory coined, Intersectionality (Crenshaw, 1991, p. 87). Specifically, I plan to hone in on (1. how historical power dynamics within society and the African American community have shaped constructions of femininity and contributed to discrimination & (2. how social locations (a term for economic background, skin tone, geographic location), intersect with gender to shape black female experiences.
Advantages of this approach are that it’s comprehensive and properly inclusive of the groups to whom we refer while offering a more nuanced perspective on power, history, and our society at large than outlooks crafted from the hegemonic perspective. However, there are also limitations here as far as the added layer of complexity and the dearth of of data that comes from the lack of representation of this group is the literature. In this respect, intersectionality also sheds light on the multiplicity of experiences in choosing, organizing, and analyzing sources. Methods
Conceptual analysis is the method used to delve deeper into the nature of theoretical concepts and ideas derived from literature, aimed at affording guidance in gaining insights about the phenomenon under investigation (Braun & Clarke, 2006, p, 44). The advantages of using conceptual is that it helps in getting insights into theoretical concepts and language constructs that would be useful for comprehensiveness. It also guides one in complex frameworks and allows an inclusive analysis within the intersectionality. However, the associated high subjectivity to interpretation and being a very timeconsuming process, this may limit generalizability and tend to oversimplify even the most complex phenomena.
Sources:
Intersectionality helps to identify pertinent materials, to organize with intersecting identities, and enable conducting a critical analysis of the power structures and social norms that impact African American cis women.My secondary sources consist of periodicals, academic books, and studies that deal with racial and gender-based discrimination and transphobia respectively. Significant readings like Laqueur’s (1997) investigation on the history of political reproductive biology, Scott’s (1986) investigation of gender as a way to outline history, and Eriksson’s (1998) examination of the one-sex model will supply the theorical framework and the historical context. In this regard, Seidman’s (2003) analysis of the social construction of sexuality and Crenshaw’s (1991) discussion of intersectionality can be used to understand how discrimination spurs up the broader perspective of the system of power and oppression. In my research, I’ll employ a thematic approach by identifying key patterns across the literature. Thesis Outline:
Introduction
Overview: Convergence of gender binary and African American cis-womanhood.
Thesis statement
The Gender Binary and Its Implications
Definition of the gender binary and its prevalence in societal norms.
Exploration of the impact of the gender binary on women’s rights and social standing.
Discussion of how the gender binary intersects with race and contributes to the marginalization of Black cisgender women.
Historical Constructions of African American Femininity
Overview of historical constructions of African American femininity.
Examination of stereotypes, media representations, and cultural narratives shaping these constructions
Analysis of how historical constructions intersect with the gender binary to perpetuate discrimination against Black cisgender women.
Intersectionality: Theoretical Framework
Introduction to intersectionality theory.
Explanation Discussion of key intersectional concepts in the analysis.
Intersecting Identity Markers
Exploration of intersecting identity markers such as race, gender, class, and sexuality.
Analysis of how these intersecting identities shape the experiences of discrimination for African American cis women.
Examples of how intersecting identity markers contribute to disparities in rights/protections/ social standing.
Contemporary Manifestations of Discrimination: #SayHerName
Discussion of the role of the gender binary in perpetuating these discriminatory practices.
Conclusion
Summary
Reflection on the importance of using an intersectional framework
References
Beauvoir, S. de (1949). Le deuxième sexe (vol. 1). Paris: Gallimard.
Brah, A. & Phoenix, A. (2004). Am I not a woman? Revisiting intersectionality. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 5(3), 75–86. Intersectionality, Transphobia, and Black Womanhood ADD 5 additional contemporary sources
Coleman, D. (2023). Transfeminism (s). In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication
Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299.
Eriksson, M. (1998). Biologically similar and anatomically different? The one-sex model and the modern sex/gender distinction. Nora: Nordic Journal of Women’s Studies, 6(1), 31–38.
Hoskin, R. A. (2020). “Femininity? It’s the aesthetic of subordination”: Examining femmephobia, the gender binary, and experiences of oppression among sexual and gender minorities. Archives of sexual behavior, 49(7), 2319-2339.
Laqueur, T. (1992). Making sex: Body and gender from the Greeks to Freud. Cambridge/London: Harvard University Press. Laqueur, T. (1997). Orgasm, generation, and the politics of reproductive biology. In R. N. Lancaster & M. di Leonardo (Eds), The gender/sexuality reader: Culture, history, political economy (pp. 219–243). New York/London: Routledge. Laqueur, T. (2012). The rise of sex in the eighteenth century: Historical context and historiographical implications. Signs, 37(4), 802–813. Mikell, T. (2022). Trans-Black Women Deserve Better: Expanding Queer Criminology to Unpack Trans Misogynoir in the Field of Criminology. In Abolish Criminology (pp. 93–104). Routledge.
Moreira, R. (2020). De-Whitening Intersectionality through Transfeminism. De-Whitening Intersectionality: Race, Intercultural Communication, and Politics, p. 203.
Scott, J. W. (1986). Gender: A proper category of historical analysis. The American Historical Review, 91(5), 1053–1075. Read the following excerpts: pp. 1053-1058 and pp. 1066–1075. Additional Readings
Seidman, S. (2003). The social construction of sexuality. New York: Norton. Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), 1241–1299.
Thomas, V. E. (2020). Embodying Sisterhood: Community Politics of Black Cisgender and Transgender Womanhood. University of Washington.
Upadhyay, N. (2021). Coloniality of white feminism and its transphobia: A comment on Burt. Feminist criminology, 16(4), 539–544.