In this thesis I will first briefly outline general aspects of the autobiographical genre, with emphasis on the tradition of life narratives written by African Americans. As this thesis focuses on two autobiographies written by women, I will also go into major characteristic aspects that distinguish their personal accounts from men’s before introducing the autobiographies of Assata Shakur and Elaine Brown within the larger context. Chapter three will be dedicated to a closer look on their works. I will focus on Shakur’s and Brown’s representations of themselves as black women and their becoming revolutionaries within the dynamics of gender and power. I will illustrate important aspects of their identity formation during childhood and adolescence, e.g. family backgrounds, school education, ghetto life and their relationship to male age mates, as well as their slow process of identity change due to growing critical awareness and introduction to the Black Power Movement. I will also focus on whether and if yes, how, their current identity is again challenged within the Black Power Movement and especially within and outside of the Black Panther Party. Lastly I will shortly concentrate on the autobiographies’ respective closures and how the two women see themselves, directly after leaving organized struggle behind (Brown) or from exile several years later (Shakur). By writing their autobiographies Brown and Shakur take advantage of the opportunity to tell their version of the story. How the two women create their identity and depict themselves retrospectively as being quite different from their public image will be the central focus of this paper.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Autobiography: General aspects of the genre
2.1. The Tradition of African-American Autobiography
2.2. Autobiographies by African-American Women: Exceptional Conditions and a Tradition of Their Own
2.3. Along the Line but Different: The Autobiographies of Assata Shakur and Elaine Brown
3. The Making of Revolutionaries: Black Female Identity from Childhood to Maturity in the Autobiographies of Assata Shakur and Elaine Brown
3.1. Formative Experiences Creating Identity: Childhood and Adolescence in Assata and A Taste of Power
3.1.1. Family Background and Mother-Daughter Relationship
3.1.2. Living a Double Existence: School Education and Ghetto Life
3.1.3. Girls and Boys
3.2. Awakening: Becoming Literate, Becoming Black
3.3. Being Black, Female and Revolutionaries: Creating Identity within Gender and Power Dynamics in Political Struggle
3.3.1. Gender Roles
3.3.2. Intimate Relationships
3.3.3. Motherhood
3.3.4. Power and Identity
3.4. Afterlife
4. Conclusion
Bibliography
Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines the autobiographical narratives of Assata Shakur and Elaine Brown to explore how these women constructed their identities as Black female revolutionaries within the context of the American Black Power Movement. The research focuses on the transition from personal childhood experiences to political consciousness and the gendered power dynamics they encountered.
- The role of family and early environment in shaping identity.
- The process of gaining political literacy and critical awareness.
- The impact of gender discrimination within male-dominated political organizations.
- The negotiation of motherhood and personal relationships during political struggle.
- The use of autobiography as a form of political intervention and historical resistance.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1.1. Family Background and Mother-Daughter Relationship
Elaine Brown, born in 1943, grows up in the poorest neighbourhoods in Philadelphia. At first she lives with her mother, Aunt Mary and her grandparents in York Street right in the ghetto. It is a dismal, filthy place where the smell of industrial dirt pervades the streets and trash covers the ground. And at night the dangers of gang fights, stabbings or fires make the people lock their houses. Not even her own home can provide little Elaine with a feeling of security or comfort as she is surrounded by darkness in the tiny back room she occupies with her mother, afraid of mice and roaches. To Elaine it is a place where she is not safe and in many nights her mother has to hold her tight until she stops shaking with the fear of that “feeling of nothingness” and loss (Brown 20) causing a psychological trauma that will keep on catching up with her throughout the future.
Up until adulthood Elaine maintains a very close relationship to her mother. Throughout her childhood years they share a bed and even continue to live together when Elaine moves to Los Angeles in 1965 and her mother follows her shortly after. It seems like Dorothy Clark only lives for her daughter, trying to provide her with all the opportunities and the better life she herself never had. Elaine, who is supposed to elevate her some day from all the hardships she has to suffer, is her hope and future, as Mrs Clark tells her about a dream she once had:
I used to dream – it was before you were born, while I was carrying you – that I had a little girl. The girl in that dream looked just like you. She was about five years old. We were in the garden. And she had on a little apron which was filled with apples. She would come towards me, offering the apples, saying, “I came to help you, Mommy.” (Brown 22)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the scope of the study, comparing the public perceptions of Assata Shakur and Elaine Brown with their retrospective self-portrayals in their autobiographies.
2. Autobiography: General aspects of the genre: Discusses the literary traditions of African-American autobiography, highlighting the specific challenges and conditions faced by Black women authors.
3. The Making of Revolutionaries: Black Female Identity from Childhood to Maturity in the Autobiographies of Assata Shakur and Elaine Brown: Examines how childhood, adolescence, and early adult experiences formed the foundations for both women's eventual adoption of revolutionary identities.
4. Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that despite different life paths and degrees of self-assurance, both women utilized their autobiographies as powerful tools of resistance and self-definition.
Keywords
Black Power Movement, African-American autobiography, Assata Shakur, Elaine Brown, Black female identity, gender dynamics, resistance literature, critical literacy, political activism, patriarchy, intersectionality, motherhood, racial consciousness, Black Panther Party, social struggle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this thesis?
The thesis investigates how Assata Shakur and Elaine Brown reconstruct their identities as Black women and revolutionaries in their respective autobiographies, focusing on the influence of their upbringing and their roles within political movements.
Which key thematic areas does the work address?
The central themes include the impact of family background, the evolution of racial and class consciousness, the role of gender within patriarchal political structures, and the challenges of balancing motherhood with activism.
What is the core research goal?
The goal is to demonstrate how these two women retrospectively trace their personal growth and transition into political figures, challenging the negative public images imposed upon them.
What methodology is employed?
The author employs a comparative literary analysis of the two autobiographical texts, situating them within the broader tradition of African-American life narratives and resistance literature.
What is covered in the main section of the book?
The main part analyzes formative childhood experiences, the transition to becoming "literate" and politically active, the specific gender and power dynamics faced within the Black Panther Party, and the women's lives after leaving the movement.
How would you characterize the key concepts?
Key concepts involve the intersection of race, gender, and class, the concept of the "double bind" of being Black and female, and the usage of autobiography as a form of political intervention and pedagogical tool.
How do the childhood experiences of Shakur and Brown differ?
While both grew up in impoverished environments, Shakur's family instilled in her a sense of personal dignity and resistance early on, whereas Brown's upbringing was marked by an intense, overwhelming mother-daughter bond and a desire to escape ghetto life through assimilation.
How does the experience of power affect the authors differently?
Brown experienced a "taste of power" as a leader in the Black Panther Party, which bolstered her confidence but left her fragile when that power was removed; in contrast, Shakur endured imprisonment, which forced her to find an internal sense of strength independent of political hierarchies.
- Quote paper
- Jessica Menz (Author), 2006, The making of black female revolutionaries - growing consciousness and change of identity in the autobiographies of Assata Shakur and Elaine Brown, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/91487
