Degree Name
MALS (Master of Arts in Liberal Studies)
Program
Liberal Studies
Date of Award
8-2006
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Marie Tedesco
Committee Members
Charles S. Olson, Pat Buck, Theresa A. Lloyd
Abstract
My research examines the enslaved black woman's reclamation of self through the use of voice and resistance from enslavement into freedom. I argue that the enslaved black woman's voice was one that grew stronger and louder, in an effort to have her story heard, through her attempts of reclamation of self and transition from slave to a free woman. I begin with an introduction to the purpose of my research. Chapter one describes my approach to my research. Chapter two describes the conditions of slavery for black women. Chapter three describes enslaved black women's mechanisms of resistance. Chapter four examinations the reclamation of self in slavemade quilts and the controversial Underground Railroad Quilt Code. Chapter five examines the reclamation of voice in Harriet Jacobs' narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written under a pseudonym, Linda Brent, after she escaped from slavery. Chapter six examines the reclamation of womanhood is Dr. Anna Julia Cooper's text, A Voice from the South. My conclusion describes how these historical events are still relevant to present-day society.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Brooks, Courtney Erin, "Shedding Light upon the Shadows: An Examination of the Use of Voice as Resistance and Reclamation of the Black Woman from Enslavement to Freedom." (2006). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 2219. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/2219
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.