Preferred Name
Tania Diakite
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Date of Graduation
5-9-2024
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
School of Communication Studies
Second Advisor
Carlos G. Alemán
Third Advisor
Reslie Cortés
Abstract
This qualitative thesis examines identity negotiation and communication frames used among African immigrants and Black Americans who attend a multicultural church. Exploring the intersection of identity, race, and faith among African immigrants and Black Americans is valuable towards understanding the dynamics of their relationship in the context of Christian communities in the United States. As African Christian immigrants navigate the complexities of racial realities in the United States, their faith can serve as a safe place that shapes their sense of self and community belonging. Similarly, many Black Americans historically have drawn upon their Christian faith as a place of refuge when faced with discrimination and systemic racism. The Communication Theory of Identity offers a theoretical lens to explore the different communication frames that both groups use during interactions in Christian faith community settings and the identity gaps they experienced therein. Further, the study examined differences in understandings of the Christian faith and members bridging such differences. An ethnography of a multicultural Christian church, ethnographic interviews with members of the church, semi-structured interviews with four African immigrants and four Black Americans congregants, and autoethnographic reflections were used to address the research questions. This qualitative inquiry first revealed four embodied frames (1) an awareness to their foreign accents and adjusted them to be understood by Black Americans and Americans in general; (2) natural hair as a point of relation for African immigrants' women and Black American women; (2) cultural clothing as an identification of the African identity; and (4) age as a relational frame for both groups. Second, negative stereotypes and cultural differences contributed to the identity gaps that both African immigrants and Black Americans experienced. Third, both groups reconciled differences through acclamations that their Christian identities trumped all other identities and overall, they expressed far more commonalities than major differences in their understanding and expressions of faith.
