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The freak played a significant role in late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century entertainment, but its significance extended beyond such venues as sideshows and minstrel shows. This dissertation examines the freak as an avatar emblematic of several issues, such as class and race, traditionally focused on in studies of Turn-of-the Century American literature and culture. Disability and freakishness are explored as central to late-nineteenth- and early twentieth- century Americans’ identity. Freakishness is applied to a series of ways in which Americans in this period constructed their identity, including race, gender, and socioeconomic class, showing the dual role that the freak played for many white, able-bodied, upper-class American men. Freaks threatened such men’s sense of their own disability, triggering such complexes as Wounded Southernness or white masculinity. But contrasting themselves with freaks also solidified their visions of themselves as models of American normalcy. Besides freak shows, they encountered freakishness in a variety of arenas, including lynchings, slums, and early horror films. The late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s fascination with freakishness is situated as an outgrowth of that period’s eugenics movement, showing how the entwined concepts of eugenics and normalcy traversed ground that went much further than studies of physical aberration and chronic illness. This extended notion of the freak is discussed by analyzing various literary texts, especially the novels of William Dean Howells and Jack London. The autobiographies of Booker T. Washington and Helen Keller exemplify how double consciousness can serve as a means of enfreakment. Further, all these texts are situated culturally by medicalizing a series of historical events, including specific lynchings, as well as laws that reconfigured urban landscapes. The final chapter focuses on early horror film, arguing that film became the new American sideshow and in the process changed the definition of freak to something far more monstrous. In short, this dissertation demonstrates how the freak show pervaded America at the turn of the twentieth century and turned the country into one large dime museum.

Blacks who have descended from the nineteenth century Atlantic slave trade have historically debated and worked to claim a sense of cultural identity that reflects their African heritage and their identity as diasporic. I am particularly interested in how people of the black Atlantic claim their multiple identities since, for people of a diaspora, one main factor is the fact that they inhabit multiple spaces but cannot call any home. How does transnationalism become a better way to describe the cultural identity of those in the "black Atlantic" since these people have to create new or adapted identities as they move from place to place? For Paul Gilroy, the "black Atlantic" applies to people who descended from slaves forced to come to New World (19). In a sense, slavery is a major part of African diasporic history, but I would claim that as time has progressed and people of this lineage came to find homes in the Caribbean, America, and Europe and they have not lost their heritage. Instead, they have retained these identities in a transnational sense. Multiple cultural identities become integrated into each transnational individual, making each person unique to his or her culture without losing sight of his or her common heritage. I explore these identity formations through a close reading of The Butterfly's Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora (sic) in the United States (2001), a collection of short stories, poetry, and personal accounts from Haitian diaspora in the United States, whose stories delve into the issue of transnational identity. The idea of diaspora as read in the text of The Butterfly's Way emphasizes that the more fluid and encompassing terms of hybridity and transnationalism more accurately describe the geographical movements and consequential amassing of black identification within Paul Gilroy's concept of the "black Atlantic." My analysis is supported by a survey of theoretical discourses, particularly those related to black identity. I utilize post-colonial theory while focusing particularly on transnationalism and diasporic studies through Stuart Hall, as well as W.E.B. Du Bois's conception of "double consciousness" to support and develop my argument on how blacks negotiate multiple identities (11). To discuss the formation of a people, I use the work of political theorist Ernesto Laclau, in particular, his arguments in On Populist Reason (2007) on group identity and demand. Gilroy's concept of the "black Atlantic" has many similarities to Laclau’s notion of the "empty signifier" as a way for people to form groups for collective action. I conclude that transnationalism works as better way to describe the black diaspora since black descendants of slaves have retained multiple identities as Africans as well as citizens of their current nations. My paper argues that transnationalism and hybridity function as better terms to describe people who have the Atlantic slave trade in their history.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T14:16:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Simioes Goncalves.pdf: 1740603 bytes, checksum: cfb13501f5b47517e60c194bfbccc6b6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-05-23 / The present work is a study of the historical and philosophical background of Latin American double consciousness. Since the beginning of America, Latin American identity has been forged through a breakup and a tension between the logic of coloniality of power (one as a principle) and the logic of critical mestizaje (two as a totality). In the first one, difference is radically denied; in the second one, it is legitimized as a foundation of reality. This originates a dialectic of extremes proper to Latin America s formation, in which different memories and times are mixed in a heterogeneous and contradictory totality. In the beginning of the XX century, the work of the thinker José Carlos Mariátegui was the expression of such tension. Being the first great Marxist thinker of Peru, Mariátegui defended the idea that there is an agonizing struggle between two souls in Latin American consciousness: on the one hand, the positivist decaying edifice built from capitalism; on the other hand, the new impetus, the passionate desire in search of Indo-American socialism, capable of bringing together indigenous world, revolution, spirituality and poetic imagination in the same movement of the subversion of Latin America s historical double consciousness. The tradition of a critical thinking that can express the way of life of different populations of Latin America continued throughout the XX century, when the idea of a critical mestizaje develops in the literature, the philosophy and the social thinking of the whole continent. It is in this context that the category of liberation is constituted as an expression proper of the Latin American critical thinking and, in the beginning of the XXI century, unfolds in the search for an intercultural and decolonized praxis. Considering this long-lasting historical arc, the thesis brings subsidies to a reading of the current context of capitalism s structural crisis, from the standpoint of the intersubjective dimension as divided historical consciousness. And it puts forward approaches to the construction of a new historical sense for the contemporary social struggles / O presente trabalho é um estudo sobre a formação histórico-filosófica da dupla consciência latino-americana. Desde o início da América, a identidade latino-americana se forjou a partir de uma cisão e de uma tensão entre a lógica da colonialidade do poder (um como princípio) e a lógica da mestiçagem crítica (dois como totalidade). Na primeira, a diferença é radicalmente negada; na segunda, é legitimada enquanto fundamento da realidade. Disso se origina uma dialética dos extremos própria à formação latino-americana, em que diferentes memórias e tempos se combinam em uma totalidade heterogênea e contraditória. No início do séc. XX, a obra do pensador José Carlos Mariátegui é a expressão dessa tensão. Primeiro grande pensador marxista do Peru, Mariátegui defendia a ideia de que havia uma luta agônica entre duas almas na consciência latino-americana. De um lado, o decadente edifício positivista erigido a partir do capitalismo. Do outro, o novo ânimo, a vontade apaixonada em busca do socialismo indo-americano, capaz de reunir mundo indígena, revolução, espiritualidade e imaginação poética em um mesmo movimento e de subverter a dupla consciência histórica latino-americana. A tradição de um pensamento crítico que seja expressão do modo de vida das diferentes populações da América Latina tem continuidade no decorrer do séc. XX, quando a ideia de uma mestiçagem crítica se desenvolve na literatura, na filosofia e no pensamento social de todo o continente. É nesse contexto que a categoria da libertação se constitui como uma expressão própria do pensamento crítico latino-americano e se desdobra, no início do séc. XXI, na busca por uma práxis intercultural e descolonizada. Ao analisar esse arco histórico de larga duração, a tese traz subsídios para uma leitura do atual contexto de crise estrutural do capitalismo, a partir da dimensão intersubjetiva enquanto consciência histórica dividida e aponta caminhos para a construção de um novo sentido histórico para as lutas sociais do tempo presente

The protagonist Martha in Doris Lessing’s Martha Quest is born to white British settler parents and grows up in a British colony in southern Africa in the 1930s. Although officially the coloniser rather than the colonised, Martha tries to reject this role mentally, verbally, and physically. This essay aims to show that a postcolonial reading of Martha in relation to the colonial context helps in understanding her double consciousness and, more specifically, her inability to find a real or lasting sense of home. Using Homi Bhabha’s concept of unhomeliness, the essay argues that Martha does not truly feel at home anywhere, because the “unhomely” always disturbs the “homely.” Through close reading of the text, it shows how Martha tries to find a sense of home in four areas of her life: her physical home, nature, her body, and her mind. This essay finds that despite Martha’s efforts in moving from her family home to rented accommodation, from the bush to the city, from girlhood to womanhood, and from her individual thoughts to the solidarity of others, she still does not feel at home anywhere. Whenever she starts to feel comfortable in a place or situation, unhomely moments, such as reminders of her nationality, race, or class, always disturb the homely feelings of belonging. Ultimately, Martha cannot escape her unhomeliness. / Huvudpersonen Martha i Doris Lessings Martha Quest är dotter till vita brittiska bosättare och växer upp i en brittisk koloni i södra Afrika på 1930-talet. Trots att hon formellt sett är kolonisatören snarare än den koloniserade, försöker Martha att avvisa denna roll mentalt, verbalt och fysiskt. Denna uppsats syftar till att visa att en postkolonial tolkning av Martha i förhållande till det koloniala sammanhanget bidrar till en förståelse av hennes dubbla medvetande och mer specifikt hennes oförmåga att hitta en verklig, eller bestående, känsla av hemma. Med hjälp av Homi Bhabhas koncept gällande o-hemlikhet argumenterar uppsatsen för att Martha inte känner sig riktigt hemma någonstans, eftersom det ”o-hemlika” alltid stör det ”hemlika.” Genom en noggrann läsning av texten visar den hur Martha försöker hitta känslan av ett hem inom fyra områden av sitt liv: sitt fysiska hem, naturen, sin kropp och sitt sinne. Denna uppsats konstaterar att trots Marthas ansträngningar att flytta från sitt familjehem till ett hyresrum, från land till stad, från ung flicka till kvinna och från sina individuella tankar till solidaritet med andra, känner hon sig fortfarande inte hemma någonstans. När hon börjar känna sig bekväm på ett ställe eller i ett läge, stör o-hemlika ögonblick i form av påminnelser om hennes nationalitet, ras eller klass alltid hennes hemlika känslor av tillhörighet. I slutändan kan Martha inte undgå sin o-hemlikhet.

This thesis demonstrates how two early nineteenth century British novels, William Earle’s Obi, or The History of Three-Fingered Jack (1800) and the anonymously-written The Woman of Colour; A Tale (1808), feature prominent women of colour that move beyond the silenced, enslaved, minor representations of black and mixed race women made popular in previously published texts throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The progression of Amri and Olivia’s positions through the use of literary strategies, such as Homi K. Bhabha’s mimicry, Paul Gilroy’s double consciousness, and gender-reversals reveal the inherent ambivalence of the women’s positions in each narrative and the importance of these representations against the hegemonic female position. Although I argue that neither author succeeds in overturning traditional limitations of representing women of colour in literature of the period, investigating these texts is crucial to understanding the autonomous, influential women of colour in later nineteenth century literary works.

abstract: This study investigates degree perseverance among African Americans who transitioned from an undergraduate music program at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). A framework based on Bourdieu’s cultural capital theory and Yosso’s community cultural wealth theory was employed to examine how academic, cultural, and social aspects of participants’ undergraduate and graduate school experiences influenced their perseverance. Because those aspects are intricately intertwined with race, I also employed critical race theory and double consciousness theory, and used Angela Duckworth’s Grit Scale to measure degree perseverance. Eight African American male instrumental music educators participated in this study. Research questions included: What are the experiences of African Americans who have transitioned from undergraduate music programs at HBCUs to graduate music programs at PWIs?; How do these individuals compare academic, social, and cultural aspects of their experiences within two institutional environments?; What are their self-perceptions of their own degree perseverance?; and, What social, cultural, and academic aspects of their experiences influenced their perseverance? After developing a portrait of each participant’s pre-college and college experiences, analysis reveled that participants were very persistent; however, academic, cultural, social, and racial experiences influenced their perseverance. Participants employed dominant cultural capital and community cultural wealth as well as their “Grittiness” to successfully transition from an HBCU to a PWI. Recommendations for HBCUs, PWIs, and the profession are offered toward improving the experiences of African American music students in higher education. HBCUs must hold their faculty and students accountable for developing a broader musical experience beyond marching band, and address colorism on their campuses. PWIs should recognize and accept the capital that African Americans bring, acknowledge that African Americans need access to social support networks, and assess how their environments, actions, and decisions may devalue or discount African Americans. While more research is needed regarding the experiences of African Americans in music programs, African American students must also take active roles in shaping their own educational experiences by seeking assistance that will improve their experiences. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music Education 2015

Betweenship, or inbetweenness, is a complex state of mind. Numerous stories about it arecurrently being shared and more are piling up by the minute. Inbetweenness exist in all socialclasses all over the world.What is inbetweenness? Inbetweenness is a state of mind closely connected with theexperiences of children of immigrants, mixed races and transracial adoptees. What createdinbetweenness? Many scholars, like for example Tobias Hübinette, believe thatinbetweenness is a result of globalization. What inbetweeners all have in common is that theyidentify themselves as people of subculture, or people between cultures, because theyrepeatedly travel between different cultures and identities. In our research we found that thecommon aspiration and desire among inbetweeners is that their identities must not beexamined or questioned by other people, especially those who do not understandinbetweenness, and also that inbetweenness is the result of different power structures in thesociety.Patrik Bolling Ferell, co-founder of the Swedish foundation The Inbetweenship(Mellanförskapet), has said that “It’s on the airplane between my two home countries I feelhome at most.” These inbetween individuals already struggle with identity issues. Most ofthem don’t even know what (or where) to call “home”. What is interesting about the noun“home” is that it has multiple meanings, such as a shelter that is a person’s residence, and aplace where domestic affections are centered. The meaning is controversial, which is why thequote by Ferell is so fitting.Descendants of foreigners and inbetweeners all over the world claim that they arecurrently not treated with equality nor the respect that they deserve, which is the main reasonwhy we decided to write this bachelor essay about this subject.This essay focuses on collecting and analyzing research data from a number of individualsfrom different chosen cities who also answered a few questions in an inquiry about theinbetweenness situation in Sweden. To analyze this research data we decided to use thecritical discourse analysis theory by Norman Fairclough to study the bond between powerstructures and inbetweenness in Swedish society. We also question why the Swedish schoolsystem, its principals and teachers insist on not incorporating this subject when there clearlyis enough room for it in the curriculum and syllabus, according to our study. At the end of ourstudy, we give advice on how teachers can educate Swedish upper secondary school students about inbetweenness as a part of religious studies.Inbetweenness research indicated that there are great flaws in religious studies in Sweden.Results showed that there are no, or very few educational lessons about inbetweenness,multicultural, alienation and reconciliation education.This study, researched and written with brand new data about the subject, concludes thatthe majority of our survey participants have never even heard the word inbetweenness or anyof its variants, while the majority have experienced or continue to experience it. Results fromthe survey also show us that the participants also feel that the Swedish school system musttake its responsibility to its students and educate them better about this subject, as manyparticipants would have felt better and safer with their identities knowing that they are notalone in the world, and that what they are feeling is completely normal. Participants in thesurvey also answered that they would probably have gotten better grades if teachers andschoolmates understood what they have been going through.

Perpetuating African ancestral customs, Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans avoid the African American identity crises illuminated by the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance. The poetry of Langston Hughes, Claude McKay and Waring Cuney incorporate W.E.B. DuBois’ double-consciousness theory to reveal the identity issues and ancestral alienation plaguing African Americans at the turn of the twentieth-century. In comparison, unique political and social circumstances in New Orleans allowed enslaved Africans to practice their ancestral customs weekly. The preservation of this heritage fostered a black community in New Orleans rich in traditions, pride and self-conviction. The development of Mardi Gras Indian culture and the allusions to Africa in Harlem poetry reveal the power of ancestry to establish identity.

<p>Abstract</p><p>During the last decade many female writers of British decent have focused on identity construction and coming of age. These writers have been especially interested in exploring how people living in the diaspora are trying to cope with their ambivalent feelings towards their mixed cultural heritage. Helen Oyeyemi's <em>The Icarus Girl</em> is one of these novels. The novel depicts a young girl's struggle with the dualism within her, being both British and Nigerian, that threatens to dissolve her self-identity. This essay will explore how <em>The Icarus Girl</em> deals with the theme “double consciousness” (imposed binaries) and how the narrative's structure and stylistic devices enable the story to be read (interpreted) from two different perspectives, thus the narrative's structure offers an ambiguous double reading that corresponds to Jessamy's unresolved doubleness. The first reading suggests that the traumatic experience of “double consciousness“ is left in a status quo, or even being fatal, which in the essay is called the Western reading. The second reading suggests a recovery, i.e. that the young protagonist comes to terms with her mixed cultural heritage, the so-called West-African reading. In pursuing this aim I discuss how “double consciousness” in this novel is a traumatic state of mind transferred from mother to daughter, but also how stylistic devices, belonging to the genre of the fantastic, are used to emphasize the theme and make possible the two different readings.</p>