Congratulations to Lynn Ann Wills who on Monday, May 12, 2025, successfully defended her dissertation proposal. The title of Lynn’s dissertation is, "INTERSECTING RELIGION AND RACE: AN ORAL HISTORY EXPLORING BLACK ALUMNI EXPERIENCES FROM SEGREGATED CATHOLIC SCHOOLS (1940-1970)."
Lynn Wills successfully defended her dissertation proposal for an oral history study that seeks to chronicle the experiences of African Americans who attended Catholic schools during segregation between 1940 and 1970 in Natchez, Mississippi, focusing on how they navigated and understood the intersections of their racial and religious identities. Using semi-structured oral history interviews with 8 to 10 participants, the study, which draws upon Crenshaw's intersectionality theory, will document firsthand accounts of their educational journeys, life stories, and reflections on belonging to a tight-knit Southern community during an era of segregation. The research aims to uncover themes related to identity, community, and interpersonal relationships, exploring questions such as: How do African American Catholic school alumni narrate their life experiences, and how do these oral histories illuminate the interplay between religion and race? How did the geographic and cultural context of the segregated South shape their stories? What role did intersecting identities play in shaping their relationships and self-perceptions during and after their Catholic school education? Using thematic analysis, this oral history project will identify patterns and commonalities in participants' stories, highlighting the nuanced dynamics of their overlapping and intersecting identities. By amplifying these voices, this study contributes to the understanding of the complex intersections of race, religion, and education in African American history and addresses a significant gap in existing scholarship.
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE CHAIR:
Dr. Susan Iverson
DISSERTATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Dr. John Shekitka
Dr. Seth Tannebaum
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