In my final project I will seek to
build upon work focusing on the representation of women in The Black Panther, the Black Panther Party’s publication. In
critically analyzing both the images and writings included by and about women
in the publication I will seek to answer three questions: how are women
represented, what role within the organization are they promoted as having and
what possibilities for leadership or feminism appear in these representations?
My central thesis will seek to understand the place of Black Women’s power
within the Black Panther Party and the Black Power Movement writ large.
As stated, I will focus on The Black Panther newspaper which ran
from 1967-1980, spanning most of the Party’s relevance in US politics. I will
focus on three issues and the stories and images they deploy around women, one
from 1967, a second from 1973 and a final issue from 1980, the publication’s
final year. By looking at issues that mark the beginning, mid-point and end of
the Party’s existence I seek to understand the trajectory that women’s
involvement and leadership played in the Black Panther Party, and how the
representation of women in the publication reflected this. Additionally, I will
draw upon the critiques and counter narratives of the Party that claim misogyny
was an ingrained aspect of the organization. Overall I seek to develop a
nuanced understanding of what role women played in the Black Panther Party throughout
its short lifetime and whether subsequent critiques of the party’s gender
politics are reflected in its own messaging.
Bibliography:
Primary Sources:
The Black Panther, 1 no. 2:1-8 (May
15, 1967)
The Black Panther, 9 no. 15:1-12
(January 27, 1973)
The Black Panther, 20 no. 6:1-16
(May 12-25, 1980)
Secondary Sources:
Bukhari,
Safiya, and Laura Whitehorn. The War
Before: the True Life Story of Becoming a Black Panther, Keeping the Faith in
Prison & Fighting for Those Left behind. New York City: Feminist at the
City University of New York, 2010. Print.
Liberation, imagination, and the
Black Panther Party : a new look at the Panthers and their legacy / edited by
Kathleen Cleaver and George Katsiaficas.
Want to start a revolution? :
radical women in the Black freedom struggle / edited by Dayo F. Gore, Jeanne
Theoharis, and Komozi Woodard.
Sure you may have already copped it, but you gotta include Elaine Brown's "A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story"!
ReplyDeleteDear Milton,
ReplyDeleteThis is a fascinating topic. You may also want to look at the work of Tracye Matthews, particularly the article, No One Ever Asks what a Man's Role in the Revolution Is: Gender and Sexual Politics in the Black Panther Party, 1966-1971.
It looks like this article is available online in the edited volume, The Black Panther Party Reconsidered --
http://books.google.com/books?id=hxpCxS661Q8C&pg=PA267&lpg=PA267&dq=tracye+matthews+no+one+asks&source=bl&ots=_n_H3QPtQJ&sig=7Iu8l9hmQBqoscJF4VPptcP8RBg&hl=en&sa=X&ei=jOhEUYaSCem2yAGe34GQAg&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=tracye%20matthews%20no%20one%20asks&f=false
There may be other essays in this volume that will be helpful to you.
Your decision to focus on the journal, The Black Panther, will help to narrow and focus your essay. The role of women and gender in the Black Panther Party is a huge topic, but focusing on the issues and perspectives raised in The Black Panther is an excellent way to organize your essay and refine your argument.
I also like your idea of assessing the critiques of the Black Panther Party, particularly the questions about the chauvinism and misogyny in the party. Here, the two editorials that we discussed in office hours, Alice Walker's "Black Panthers or Black Punks?" in the May 5, 1991 issue of the New York Times, and Elaine Brown's response will be helpful. I agree with Casey that Brown's A Taste of Power is another terrific source for you.
Good luck! You're off to a great start! Please feel free to email me if you have any questions.
Very best,
Prof H