Shifting the Atmosphere : An Examination of the Relationships among African-American Female Discourse(s), Culturally Competent Education, and Social Action through the Black Church against Domestic Violence

Abstract

This dissertation explores the relationship(s) between rural African-American women's discourses and social advocacy/action against the social ill of domestic violence in order to provide insights into existing knowledge about the relationships among womanist discourse(s) and cultural competence used in effective educational practices. In this dissertation, the term womanist discourse(s) means language that reflects the diverse cultural identities and experiences of Black women while also remaining conscious of and committed to recognizing the importance of all people, especially those who identify with experiences of oppression, marginalization, and inhospitality within their larger hegemonic societies, cultures, and institutions. Three themes created for use in this study by unifying motifs of womanism and Black Church Culture/Traditions are: collective ethos and action, empowering womanist religious rhetorics, and socio-spiritual status. In addition, narrowed for the purposes of this study, cultural competence refers to services and education that are respectful of and responsive to cultural and linguistic needs. Specifically, this study integrates the use of culturally-based educational materials produced by The Black Church and Domestic Violence Institute during a domestic violence awareness workshop led by the participant-observer researcher and attended by a group of African-American women of Christian faith who are interested in discussing, learning more about, and, ultimately, combating domestic violence within and/or beyond their rural communities with the support of their religious institution, The Church of God for All People in Windsor, North Carolina. This participant-observer field study, combined with rhetorical analysis of materials used in the study, identifies what emerges as culturally competent conduits for educating and promoting social action by a specific group of African-American women of faith in rural Northeastern North Carolina: sermons, songs, testimonies, and hospitable interaction.