Black subversions: the making of black identity in African American autobiography

This thesis is a critical exploration of black identity evolution in the US through African American autobiography. It examines and tracks particular periods of the treacherous journeys black people have taken in America. I argue that oppositional consciousness has consistently been at the centre of black identity in the US and has helped consolidate their defiance, resilience and subversion of oppressive structures. This inherently oppositional stance has enabled African Americans to evolve from being positioned as property to having representations in the highest offices in the US, including the presidency. This thesis also explores how gender politics problematises the consolidation of black identity with patriarchy mimicking racist structures of oppression and inequality. In this regard, every chapter uses double lenses (male and female) to explore distinctive gender experiences and how these shape particular black identities. The overarching argument is that black autobiography produces an alternative version of black identity evolution – a version which demonstrates their overcoming of double consciousness. African American autobiography is the primary mode of text used to especially investigate subversions black people engage with to reclaim their humanity, and illustrate how particular writers represent their journeys from being enmeshed in double consciousness to their desired black identities. I examine seminal autobiographies by Angelo Herndon, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, and Maya Angelou. Themes covered here include the impact of literacy, manhood, womanhood, incarceration, sexism, and racism. Subsequent chapters investigate how these themes impact on particular generations through representations by autobiographical writers at different historical junctures in black literature. Furthermore, this thesis critically explores theories and concepts which help interrogate black subversive praxis engaged by the different writers in their subjective and representational positions and these include - critical race theory (including its tenant of counter-story narrative), family systems theory, critical consciousness theory, black feminism, black womanhood, intersectionality, and double consciousness.