Disciplining Women: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Black Counterpublics,

Disciplining Women: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Black Counterpublics, and the Cultural Politics of Black Sororities

An interdisciplinary look Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA), the first historically Black sorority.

Black Greek-letter organizations offer many African Americans opportunities for activism, community-building, fostering cultural pride, and cultural work within the African American community. Disciplining Women focuses on the oldest Black Greek-letter sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, established in 1908. In this innovative interdisciplinary analysis of AKA, Deborah Whaley combines ethnographic field work, archival research, oral history, and interpretive readings of popular culture and sorority rituals to examine the role of the Black sorority in womenâ€™s everyday lives and more broadly within public life and politics. The study includes sorority membersâ€™ stories of key cultural practices and rituals, including political participation, step dancing, pledging, hazing, and community organizing. While she remains critical of the shortcomings that plague many Black social organizations with activist programs, Whaley shows how AKAâ€™s calculated cultivation of sorority life demonstrates personal and group-directed discipline and illuminates how cultural practices intersect with politics and Black public life.

Country	USA
Brand	State University of New York Press
Manufacturer	State University of New York Press
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	Refer to Sapnet.
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9781438432724
ReleaseDate	2010-09-01

Disciplining Women: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Black Counterpublics, and the Cultural Politics of Black Sororities