Rhetorical Healing , livre ebook

State University of New York Press - Tamika L. Carey

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

140 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

Since the Black women's literary renaissance ended nearly three decades ago, a profitable and expansive market of self-help books, inspirational literature, family-friendly plays, and films marketed to Black women has emerged. Through messages of hope and responsibility, the writers of these texts develop templates that tap into legacies of literacy as activism, preaching techniques, and narrative formulas to teach strategies for overcoming personal traumas or dilemmas and resuming one's quality of life

Drawing upon Black vernacular culture as well as scholarship in rhetorical theory, literacy studies, Black feminism, literary theory, and cultural studies, Tamika L. Carey deftly traces discourses on healing within the writings and teachings of such figures as Oprah Winfrey, Iyanla Vanzant, T. D. Jakes, and Tyler Perry, revealing the arguments and curricula they rely on to engage Black women and guide them to an idealized conception of wellness. As Carey demonstrates, Black women's wellness campaigns indicate how African Americans use rhetorical education to solve social problems within their communities and the complex gender politics that are mass-produced when these efforts are commercialized.
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Life Class: An Introduction

1. Are You Sure You Want to Be Well?: Healing and the Situation of Black Women's Pain

2. I Need You to Survive: Theorizing Rhetorical Healing

3. I'll Teach You to See Again: The Rhetoric of Revision in Iyanla Vanzant's Self- Help Franchise

4. Come Ye Disconsolate: The Rhetoric of Transformation in T.D. Jakes's Women's Ministry

5. Take Your Place: The Rhetoric of Return in Tyler Perry's Films

6. With Vision and Voice: Black Women's Rhetorical Healing in Everyday Use

Reverberations

Notes
Bibliography

Sujets

Ethnic studies

Informations

Publié par	State University of New York Press
Date de parution	30 septembre 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781438462448
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,1648€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Rhetorical Healing
SUNY series in Feminist Criticism and Theory
Michelle A. Massé, editor
Rhetorical Healing
The Reeducation of Contemporary Black Womanhood
Tamika L. Carey
Cover image: “The Better Half” by Kevin Okeith, oil on canvas. © Okeith Design.
Published by State University of New York Press, Albany
© 2016 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher.
For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY
www.sunypress.edu
Production, Jenn Bennett
Marketing, Fran Keneston
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Carey, Tamika L., 1978– author.
Title: Rhetorical healing : the reeducation of contemporary Black womanhood / Tamika L. Carey.
Description: Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, [2016] | Series: SUNY series in feminist criticism and theory | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016007284 (print) | LCCN 2016014136 (ebook) | ISBN 9781438462431 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438462448 (e-book)
Subjects: LCSH: African American women—Intellectual life. | African American women—Psychology. | African American women in literature. | Psychic trauma in literature. | Healing. | Self-help techniques—United States. | Psychological literature—United States. | Spiritual life in literature. | American literature—African American authors—History and criticism. | American literature—Women authors—History and criticism.
Classification: LCC E185.86 .C298 2016 (print) | LCC E185.86 (ebook) | DDC 305.48/896073—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016007284
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Life Class: An Introduction
1. Are You Sure You Want to Be Well?: Healing and the Situation of Black Women’s Pain
2. I Need You to Survive: Theorizing Rhetorical Healing
3. I’ll Teach You to See Again: The Rhetoric of Revision in Iyanla Vanzant’s Self-Help Franchise
4. Come Ye Disconsolate: The Rhetoric of Transformation in T.D. Jakes’s Women’s Ministry
5. Take Your Place: The Rhetoric of Return in Tyler Perry’s Films
6. With Vision and Voice: Black Women’s Rhetorical Healing in Everyday Use
Reverberations
Notes
Bibliography
Illustrations
Figures
I.1 Oprah Winfrey and Iyanla Vanzant on the set of the second-season premier of Oprah’s Lifeclass— The Tour, in March 2012. Fair use.
3.1 Iyanla Vanzant counsels Evelyn Lozada on the OWN series Iyanla : Fix My Life, in 2012. Fair use.
4.1 Kimberly Elise portrays Michelle, the battered protagonist who retaliates against her abuser in the 2004 Magnolia Pictures film Woman Thou Art Loosed. Fair use.
5.1 Madea counsels her granddaughters in the sport of “gritball” in the 2006 film Madea’s Family Reunion. Fair use.
6.1 Steve Harvey answers questions from an all-female audience on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Fair use.
Acknowledgments
There have been so many acts of kindness and encouragement that do not show up on the pages of this book but have shaped it nonetheless. I give thanks to God for the vision of this project, the resources to complete it, and the gift of great examples—women such as my late grandmother, Virginia Carey—who let me see wisdom at work. My parents, Orlando and Evelyn Carey, deserve so much of my gratitude. As my earliest teachers, they taught me to trust what and whom I know, and they expressed the kind of unflinching confidence in me that makes my moments of self-doubt seem illogical. I can only strive to reciprocate their love. I am indebted to the aunts and cousins who always “kept it one hundred” with me and the chosen sisters—Carlisse, Kia, Shawntee, Sherri, Ebony, Melissa, Shawnita, and Rhonda—who were an inspiration for this book. I am grateful for them. My late partner, Chris, also deserves much of my thanks. He was there at the start and close of this book; and even though I did not always understand his sacrifices, I do now, and all is well. Thank you, babe .
Beyond this circle, this book is a reflection of a number of professional relationships that I deeply cherish. Gwendolyn Pough modeled the kind of question asking and inquiry that gave me the courage to do this project and changed the course of my academic career. Adam Banks continues to live a set of commitments that remind me of what the best outcomes of scholarly work can be. Lois Agnew, Vivian May, Beverly Moss, Tricia Serviss, Denise Valdes, Polina Chemishanova, Jamie Martinez, Anita Guynn, Carmen Kynard, Elaine Richardson, Shirley Wilson Logan, Cheryl Glenn, Keith Gilyard, Eric Darnell Pritchard, Rhea Estelle Lathan, Aja Martinez, David Green, Gabriela Rios, Steven Alvarez, Bill Endres, Roxanne Mountford, Candace Epps Robertson, Laura Davies, and LaToya Sawyer all gave formal and informal feedback on this project that pushed my thinking and inspired me. And because they deserve special acknowledgements, I thank Denise, Tricia, Melissa, Gwen, Eric, Rhea, Polina, and LaToya for the gifts of stimulating conversations, laughter, and friendship.
The University at Albany, SUNY, has provided me with the kind of nurturing and supportive working environment necessary to bring this project to fruition. As department chairs, Randy Craig and Glyne Griffith have both been wonderful sources of sound advice and guidance. Steve North, Laura Wilder, and Janell Hobson have never denied me the luxury of their attention, mentoring, and thoughtful feedback. I consider it an honor to be a part of the English Department faculty and I am particularly grateful for the camaraderie and care of Sami Schalk, Bret Benjamin, jil hanifan, Pat Chu, Derik Jalal Smith, Martha Rozett, Helene Scheck, Ineke Murakami, Ed Schwartzchild, Jen Greiman, Eric Keenaghan, Tomas Noel, Paul Stasi, Bob Yagelski, Jeff Berman, and Mary Valentis. For their guidance in navigating the ins and outs of the university, I thank Liz Lauenstein and Lynn Bearup. I also thank Robert W. Miller, Jr., Lani Jones, Tamra Minor, and Rafael Gomez for various acts of kindness and support throughout this project. Lastly, for letting me learn with them and clarify my ideas, I thank the students in my Fall 2013 Women Writers class, my Spring 2013 Black Women’s Writing and Rhetoric course, and my Fall 2014 African American Rhetorical Traditions graduate seminar.
I have received generous portions of support and instruction throughout the course of this book project. I remain grateful for the American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship that gave me an opportunity to dive into this work; the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, which provided me with a Summer Research grant that allowed me to continue this work; the Dr. Nuala McGann Drescher Writing leave; and the University at Albany English Department Writing leave for the time to complete this work. The mentoring of the National Center for Faculty Development Diversity Faculty Success Program also gave me an additional boost needed to complete this project. And to Beth Bouloukos, Jenn Bennett, Rafael Chaiken, and the staff at SUNY Press who exercised patience with me, I offer my sincere thanks. This book is better because of their work.
An earlier version of chapter 3 entitled, “I’ll Teach You to See Again: Rhetorical Healing as Reeducation in Iyanla Vanzant’s Self-Help Books” appears in Enculturation 15 (January 2013). It is reprinted here by permission of Enculturation ( http://enculturation.net/rhetorical-healing-as-reeducation ). Additionally, an early version of chapter 5 entitled, “Take Your Place: Rhetorical Healing and Black Womanhood in Tyler Perry’s Films” is published in Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 39, no. 4 (2014): 999–1021. The copyright is 2014 by the University of Chicago. It is reprinted with permission. Finally, I thank Kevin Okeith for allowing me to reprint his beautiful painting The Other Half as the cover of this book.
In closing, I thank all the women who openly shared their stories with me and the wise people who reminded me that iron can sharpen iron. I dedicate this book to them and, of course, to wisdom.
Life Class
An Introduction
I look on the show as my own ministry. I want it to free people from their fears and constraints. I want it to teach them.
–Oprah Winfrey
B efore a live audience of 9,000 attendees at St. Louis’s Peabody Opera House, the second-season premier of Oprah’s Lifeclass debuted on March 26, 2012. Lifeclass was one of the first original content offerings Winfrey and her production company developed to launch her then newly self-named television network (Oprah Winfrey Network or OWN) as her talk show’s historic twenty-five-season run was ending. The series was an apparent homage to the teaching career she has professed she would have gone into had she not chosen broadcast journalism. Lifeclass, with its new, interactive format featuring Skype interviews and streaming Facebook and Twitter commentary, was supposed to showcase “Oprah’s lessons, revelations, and aha moments” from the last twenty-five years in an accessible format that would make viewers’ lives “better happier, bigger, richer” and “more fulfilling.” 1 To encourage participation, the OWN staff launched an email campaign. Replete with an offer of customized leather journals, the emails extolled the vir