Thesis (M.A.) in Theatre/Dance--University of Maine, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 28-29).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 1998. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 183 p. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 174-182).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Santa Cruz, 1995. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 194-207).

No description available.

<p>Black women are inventing new epistemologies to better fit their own experience, and they are putting these new ways of knowing into action within their communities to generate collective change through art. Black women’s theories of their own lived experience publicly have been consistently limited by narrow definitions of what it means to create a “Theory.” In this thesis, I will analyze the work of three contemporary Black woman performance artists, Ntozake Shange, Jamila Woods, and Nitty Scott, to identify the ways in which Black women do indeed theorize within these public spaces in ways that are innovative and complex. I focus on these artists insights on three critical sites: home, school, and community. I read Shange’s <i>for colored girls who have considered suicide when the rainbow is enuf,</i> Woods’ <i>Legacy!Legacy!</i>, and Scott’s <i>Creature!</i> alongside Patricia Hill Collins’ <i>Black Feminist Thought</i> and bell hooks’ <i>Teaching to Transgress</i> to explore the innovative theoretical spaces Black women have created in their art. Ultimately, I argue that acknowledging this process of using popular culture as a space for theoretical discourse can provide innovative tools for expression for Black women who do not, cannot, or do not wish to participate in academic discourses. Understanding these tools can empower Black women to explore their humanity and to understand the contexts, which Collins refers to as “domains,” in which Black women can claim and expand their power.</p>

The purpose of this study was to describe how gender was portrayed and to determine how gender roles were depicted and defined in a selection of Modern and Postmodern American plays. This study was based on the symbolic interaction theory of gender that suggests that social roles are learned over time and are subject to constant reinforcement. The significance of this study was derived from the broad topic of gender because gender issues are relevant to a variety of fields and exploring the effects of gender in one field contributes to the understanding of gender in another field. The plays in this study were Votes for Women, Robins; Trifles, Glaspell; Our Town, Wilder; Moon for the Misbegotten, O'Neill; The Glass Menagerie, Williams; Death of a Salesman, Miller; A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry; Funnyhouse of a Negro, Kennedy; Uncommon Women and Others, Wasserstein; Fefu and Her Friends, Fornes; spell #7, Shange; Fool for Love, Shepard; Fences, Wilson; Oleanna, Mamet; and How I Learned to Drive, Vogel. Two of the study's research questions explored the types of gender roles and behaviors that the characters presented. Two questions focused on considering if the time period or the sex of the playwright were factors in the presentations of gender. Gender behaviors were divided into four categories: Behavior Characteristics, Communication Patterns, Sources of Power, and Physical Appearance. Using narrative analysis techniques, the plays were analyzed for the specific traits in each category. The majority of the characters were assigned traditional gender roles and displayed traditional gender behavior traits. Based their gender roles and behavior in their roles, characters faced limitations that confined their actions and restricted their choices. Characters experienced consequences for their behaviors, and female characters received harsher punishments for deviant behaviors than male characters. Gender portrayal in Modern plays was more in keeping with traditional patterns than in Postmodern plays. Female playwrights presented more diverse roles for female characters and often explored gender as a major theme in their plays. Where applicable, race, in concert with gender, was an additional factor that governed characters' behaviors by further restricting behavior or possible actions.

Bibliography: leaves105-117 / Summaries followed the Bibliography / The study investigates the abuse of husbands’ property by widows in the two selected isiZulu novels Ifa ngukufa and Ifa lenkululeko, which is found to have a huge impact on children and family members. The study presents the causes of the abuse of husbands’ property, the course of action of abusing husbands’ property and the consequences thereof. The content analytical approach has been used to analyse the two novels. The analysis reveals that some of the causes of the abuse of husbands’ property by widows are the widows’ carelessness, weakness, lack of respect, stress and laziness. In both literary texts, widows abuse their husbands’ property with their new lovers. As persons living in modern times, they do not respect the African cultural practices. They refuse to wear mourning clothes for their late husbands, as required by the African culture. Instead, they find new lovers within a few days of their husbands’ death, and invite them to stay in their husbands’ houses. The study highlights how easily some people, including widows, can be influenced by other peoples’ cultures. They do not respect their parents, children and the in-laws; and do not pay attention to the wellbeing of their children. When the money is depleted, the new lovers go back to their families. The study further reveals that, after the departure of the new lovers, the widows realise that they (new lovers) were not in love with them, but were after their properties. The presence of the new lovers in the widows’ lives has a negative effect on family members. Consequently, the relationship between the widows and the in-laws, parents and children suffers. The investigation is concluded by presenting recommendations that will help widows to avoid tricksters from robbing them of their property. The study is of great value to children who become the victims of circumstance. / Ucwaningo luphenya ngokuhlukunyezwa kwempahla yabayeni ngabafelokazi kumanoveli amabili akhethiwe esiZulu ethi Ifa ngukufa nethi Ifa lenkululeko, okutholakala ukuthi kunomthelela omkhulu ezinganeni nakumalungu omndeni. Ucwaningo luveza izimbangela zokuhlukunyezwa kwempahla yabayeni, isenzo sokwenza kabi impahla yabayeni nemiphumela yakhona. Indlela yokuhlaziya okuqukethwe isetshenziselwe ukuhlaziya lamanoveli amabili. Ukuhlaziywa kuveza ukuthi ezinye zezimbangela zokuhlukunyezwa kwempahla yabayeni ngabafelokazi ukunganaki kwabafelokazi, ubuthakathaka, ukungabi nenhlonipho, ingcindezi nobuvila. Kuyo yomibili imibhalo ebhaliwe, abafelokazi bahlukumeza impahla yabayeni babo namashende abo amasha. Njengabantu abaphila ezikhathini zanamuhla, abayihloniphi imikhuba yamasiko ase-Afrika. Bayenqaba ukugqoka izingubo zokuzila zabayeni babo abangasekho, njengoba kudingeka ngokwesiko lase-Afrika. Esikhundleni salokho, bathola amashende amasha ezinsukwini ezimbalwa ngemuva nje kokushona kwabayeni babo, futhi bagcine behlala nabo ezindlini zabayeni babo. Ucwaningo luqhakambisa ukuthi kulula kanjani ukuthi abanye abantu, kufaka phakathi nabafelokazi, bathonywe ngamasiko abanye abantu. Abahloniphi abazali babo, izingane kanye nabasemzini lapho bendele khona; futhi abanaki ngisho nenhlalakahle yezingane zabo. Lapho imali isiphelile, amashende abo amasha abuyela emindenini yabo. Ucwaningo luqhubeka ngokuveza ukuthi, ngemuva kokuhamba kwamashende abo amasha, abafelokazi bayabona ukuthi wona (amashende amasha) abengabathandi, kepha babelandela impahla yabo. Ukuba khona kwamashende amasha ezimpilweni zabafelokazi kunomthelela omubi kumalungu omndeni. Ngenxa yalokho, ubudlelwano phakathi kwabafelokazi nabasemzini, abazali nezingane buyaphazamiseka. Uphenyo luphethwa ngokwethula izincomo ezizosiza abafelokazi ukuthi bagweme abakhohlisi ekubaphuceni impahla yabo. Ucwaningo lubaluleke kakhulu ezinganeni eziba yizisulu zalezi zezimo. / Phuputso e batlisisa tshebediso e mpe ya thepa ya banna ke bahlolohadi dibukeng tse pedi tsa dipale tse kgethilweng tsa Sezulu Ifa ngukufa le Ifa lenkululeko, e eleng taba e fumanwang e na le tshusumetso e kgolo ho bana le ditho tsa malapa. Phuputso e hlahisa disosa tsa tshebediso e mpe ya thepa ya banna, mokgwa wa ho sebedisa ka tsela e mpe thepa ya banna le ditlamorao tsa teng. Mokgwa wa katamelo ya manollo ya dikateng o sebedisitswe ho manolla dipale tse pedi. Manollo e senola hore tse ding tsa disosa tsa tshebediso e mpe ya thepa ya banna ke bahlolohadi ke ho se tsotelle, bofokodi, ho hloka tlhompho, kgatello ya maikutlo le botswa. Ditemaneng tsa bongodi ka bobedi, bahlolohadi ba hlekefetsa thepa ya banna ba bona le baratuwa ba bona ba batjha. Jwalo ka batho ba phelang mehleng ya kajeno, ha ba hlomphe ditlwaelo tsa setso sa Maafrika. Ba hana ho apara diaparo tsa bofifi bakeng sa banna ba bona ba seng ba hlokahetse, jwalo ka ha moetlo wa Maafrika o hloka hore ho be jwalo. Ho ena le moo, ba fumana baratuwa ba batjha matsatsi a mmalwa kamora lefu la banna ba bona, ebe ba ba memela ho dula ka matlung a banna ba bona. Phuputso e bontsha hore na batho ba bang, ho kenyeletswa le bahlolohadi, ba ka susumetswa habonolo jwang ke ditso tsa batho ba bang. Ha ba hlomphe batswadi ba bona, bana le ba bohading; mme ha ba tsotelle boiketlo ba bana ba bona. Ha tjhelete e fedile, baratuwa ba batjha ba kgutlela malapeng a bona. Phuputso e tswela pele ho senola hore, kamora hore baratuwa ba batjha ba tsamaye, bahlolohadi ba hlokomela hore (baratuwa ba batjha) ba ne ba sa ba rate, empa ba ne ba le kamora thepa ya bona. Boteng ba baratuwa ba batjha bophelong ba bahlolohadi bo na le phello e mpe ho ditho tsa lelapa. Ka hona, kamano dipakeng tsa bahlolohadi le ba bohading, batswadi le bana e ya senyeha. Phuputso e phethelwa ka ho hlahisa dikgothaletso tse tla thusa bahlolohadi ho qoba hore baqhekelli ba ba utswetse thepa ya bona. Phuputso ena e bohlokwa haholo ho bana ba fetohang diphofu tsa maemo a tjena. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)