This qualitative study explored racial/ethnic and gender identities of African descent women. Specifically, 13 African descent women were interviewed about influences on their racial/ethnic and gender identities, the process by such identities developed in order to assess the applicability of current theories, and whether they perceive an interaction between their racial/ethnic and gender identities. Phase One, an initial focus group informed Phase Two of the study; individual interviews. Phase Three, a member-checking focus group, validated themes generated from data analysis. All focus groups and interview sessions followed a semi-structured format. Family, educational experiences, physical features, oppressive experiences, political movements, and religious/spiritual influences were found to shape racial/ethnic identity among participants. Gender identity was found to be influenced by family, motherhood, religion, and physicality. Current identity models were found to, in partially, describe racial/ethnic identity development. Womanist identity was found to most accurately describe the participant’s gender identity development. Finally, an interaction between racial/ethnic and gender identity development was endorsed, however articulation of this relationship was difficult. Research and practical implications are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:GEORGIA/oai:digitalarchive.gsu.edu:cps_diss-1001 |
| Date | 12 September 2006 |
| Creators | Williams, Wendi Saree |
| Publisher | Digital Archive @ GSU |
| Source Sets | Georgia State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Counseling and Psychological Services Dissertations |
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