Date of Award
8-1-2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Communication Studies
First Advisor
Gingrich-Philbrook, Craig
Abstract
The goal of this dissertation is to understand the various motifs of Black performance aesthetics which have led to the onset of a phenomenon known as Afrofuturism. The method utilized in this research is Afrofuturism itself with the multitude of definitions applicable to the term. My findings when applied to media, and Black oral tradition, are cradled in Sankofa theory; the idea of to “go back and get” the lessons of the past and bring them to the present.Coupled with Sankofa theory, Afrofuturism serves as a window to a variety of futures of Black performance aesthetics while also shedding light on the aesthetics which came before in the past. Finally, the research centers future possibilities for this research and the other areas of scholarship to which Afrofuturism and Sankofa can be applied.
Access
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