Womanist Exploration Of Michelle Obama’s Becoming

Résumé: The harsh circumstances witnessed by Black people specifically in the diaspora are commonly acknowledged. The whole world witnessed how these people’s contributions were neglected and Black women’s benefactions were no exception. Any research focusing on the representations of Black women should emphasize examining the communication of resistance. Therefore, this study aims at examining the concept of Womanism and how it was carried out and portrayed by Michelle Obama in her biography Becoming (2020). The latter is considered a modern-day example of when privileged Black women utilize their platforms in the name of activism to reclaim Black womanhood. This paper also analyzes the character of the First Black First Lady, as well as the unique ways in which privileged Black women who self-identify as Womanists reject hegemonic images and stereotypes. This paper also considers how Womanist behaviors affect and alter preexisting image representations of Black women, as well as why it is vital to assert one's identity and womanhood. Thus, this paper is built upon the work of Womanist (Alice Walker, 1983) and Black Feminist scholars to interrogate the harmful and systemic nature of controlling images of Black women and how the movement of Womanism resisted such portrayals and reclaimed Black womanhood.

Publié dans la revue: الاكاديمية للدراسات الاجتماعية و الانسانية