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"(Un)Conventional Coupling" initiates a more expansive critical conversation on the contemporary neo-slave narrative. The dissertation's central argument is that authors of neo-slave narratives rely on the politicized theme of interracial coupling to both reimagine history and explore the possibility of social transformation. to establish a framework for my particular focus on interracial intimacy, this study extends the boundaries of the genre by adopting Paul Gilroy's theory of the black Atlantic. This theoretical paradigm serves as a provisional framework for both accommodating and analyzing the complexity of authorship, nationality, and influence within this large body of work.;This dissertation interprets neo-slave narratives' preoccupation with interracial sex and intimacy as a compelling reason to situate the critical analysis of the genre within a more expansive context. The prevalence of discourses and representations of interracial desire, sexuality, and intimacy within the genre reveals a preoccupation with cross-cultural connection. Additionally, authors of neo-slave narratives rely on black-white coupling to explore the concepts and realities of "race." Indeed, interracial intimacy provides an effective mechanism for this literature to invigorate a dialogue about "race" and why it still matters in the twenty-first century.;Adopting the term (un)conventional coupling to destabilize racialized ideologies of sexuality and desire, this project reads black-white coupling as a trope that represents a complex and conflicted sense of transracial intimacy in these novels. This study analyzes the representation of transracial intimacy in three different novels: Sherley Anne Williams' Dessa Rose, David Bradley's The Chaneysville Incident, and Valerie Martin's Property. Each chapter demonstrates the different ways in which these authors rely on the trope of black-white coupling to construct the double-edged critique of black Atlantic political culture. First, this trope exposes a hidden history in order to reveal a more comprehensive and nuanced version of slavery and its myriad legacies. Secondly, representations of interracial intimacy allow authors to posit utopian possibilities out of relations of difference by creating a space for transformative acts of social reinvention.

The purpose of this study is to explore the written representation of African-American spoken-voice storytelling in five fictional narratives published between the late nineteenth century and the late twentieth century: Charles W. Chesnutt's "Hot-Foot Hannibal," Zora Neale Hurston's their Eyes Were Watching God, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, Toni Cade Bambara's "My Man Bovanne," and John Edgar Wideman's "Doc's Story.".;Using Walter Ong's suggestion that the relationship between storyteller and inside-the-text listener mirrors the hoped-for relationship between writer and readership, this study examines the way these writers grappled with these factors as they generated their texts.;By paying attention to the teller/listener-writer/readership relationship, this study examines the process whereby the narrative "frame" that historically "contained" and "mediated" the black spoken voice (either through a listener/narrator or a third-person narrator) modulated and developed throughout the century, as the frame opens and closes.;The results of this study suggest that what Robert Stepto calls the African-American "discourse of distrust" was a factor from the earliest fictions and is still very much a factor today.

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This dissertation discusses themes of racial identity, meaning of space, and class through an exploration of the intersection of gentrification and public education in Washington, D.C. Through analysis of middle-class responses to gentrification I argue, 1) that the public education system is a site of gentrification, as it has become a site of capitalistic development and Black displacement; 2) that the American concept of race, including race relations, is not an aberration of typical American society, but a defining cultural feature; and 3) the best way to understand race and class in America is to use theory constructed from the philosophical writings of W.E.B Du Bois. I ultimately conclude that both Black and White middle-class Washingtonians view gentrification as an economic process, however, in discussing ownership of the city, White middle-class Washingtonians feel as though the right to claim ownership of the city is shaped by politician-backed developers who craft the city focusing on consumption and not on community cohesiveness. They thus feel excluded from the city based on being reduced to simply a consumer. The Black middle-class on the other hand, as exemplified by teachers, feels excluded from the city because the consumer options presented in the context of gentrification are “not for them” and in their eyes appeals to an aesthetic that is simultaneously White and middle-class. Moreover, Black Washingtonian educators embrace the discourse of displacement associated with gentrification, defining gentrification ultimately as “White take-over” of Black spaces and marking the public education system of the city as a site of such take over.

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The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which practices to address disproportionality suggested by the professional literature are being implemented in Virginia public schools. It also sought to understand the perceptions of special education directors regarding the effectiveness of these practices in addressing disproportionality. Mixed methods were employed through the use of a survey instrument which was developed for this study and a content analysis of school division action plans.;There were two overarching research focus questions as well as six corresponding sub-questions investigated in this study. This study included 111 directors of special education who represent each of the eight regional study groups.;The findings from this study indicate that practices suggested in the professional literature are being widely used in Virginia public schools. as well, all of the practices stated in the survey are largely perceived to be effective in addressing the issue of disproportionality.;Through the content analysis of eleven school division actions plans and the analysis of the open-ended survey question, additional practices being used to address disproportionality emerged. The results of the study also indicated a significant positive relationship between division size, proportion of African American students enrolled, and proportion of African American students with disabilities and implementation of the practices and perceived effectiveness. Recommendations for future research as well as implications for general and special education leaders are discussed.

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