LE3 .A278 2012

2012

Abramson, Zelda

Acadia University

Bachelor of Arts

Honours

Sociology

Sociology

This study assesses the experiences of black female students attending a predominantly white university. In particular, I examine the ways by which gender and race influence the academic and social adjustment patterns of black female students attending Acadia University. The literature reveals a range of individual and situational factors (factors that are external to the individual) that influence black students’ social and academic experiences in predominantly white universities. A combination of Dorothy Smith’s Feminist Standpoint Theory, Black Feminism, Patricia Hill Collins’ “Outsider-Within” theory, and Alice Walker’s theory of Womanism are used as complementary theoretical frameworks. By conducting six semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of past yearbooks, I found that black women’s experiences at Acadia are diverse and differ by a range of factors including culture and country of origin. Furthermore, race and gender play a fundamental role in the university experiences of black female students. However, race appears to be more salient than gender in the lives of these women. Moreover, although black female students generally share positive experiences, further probing reveals that racism and sexism are major problems for them. This, I argue, poses many challenges to their successful integration into the wider campus community.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:892