Higher Education and Student Affairs Faculty Publications

Document Type

Article

Abstract

This article is a report of a critical constructivist study of racial identity and performance among 13 Black, traditional-age students enrolled at three different colleges, two historically Black and one predominantly White. The study’s approach understood identity to be socially constructed and reliant upon community affirmation and validation. The findings highlight (1) the role of internal community pressure, (2) the ways in which racial performance dominated the students’ discussions of their racial identities, and (3) the intersection of internalized racism and sexism. The overarching conclusion points to the need for promoting acceptance of racial heterogeneity within communities of Black young adults. Implications of these findings for research and practice recommend that college administrators and educators pay more attention to the influence of campus student communities on racial identity as byproducts of cultural production.

Publisher's Statement

"This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in the International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education on May 19, 2014, available online at:http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09518398.2014.916000."

Publication Date

5-19-2014

Publication Title

International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2014.916000

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