Being that I am currently dissertating and currently celebrating Kwanzaa, I began to wonder: Has anyone ever written a dissertation on Kwanzaa? Well, various searches on Digital Dissertations uncovered fewer than a dozen dissertations with "kwanzaa" as a key, title, or abstract word. Below are abstracts from three dissertations with Kwanzaa as a focus.
Now my question is, if you were proposing a dissertation on Kwanzaa, what would be your research questions?
Rituals of race, ceremonies of culture: Kwanzaa and the making of a Black Power holiday in the United States,1966--2000, Keith Alexander Mayes, PhD, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY, 2002
This dissertation examines the creation and early development of Kwanzaa as a response to racial and cultural oppression in the 1960s and 1970s. Though Kwanzaa was created by Maulana Karenga and the US Organization, the response in creating and celebrating a new black holiday quickly transcended Karenga, involving a broader section of black cultural nationalists, local grassroots activists, and many more attempting to raise the level of black consciousness. The dissertation also discusses the appropriation of Kwanzaa by American corporate and cultural institutions in the 1980s and 1990s. By the late 1980s and 1990s, Kwanzaa ceased being the sole property of the black nationalist community; it had been embraced by a broader segment of African-Americans, corporate and religious bodies, cultural and media institutions, and well as the Federal government. In crossing a number of historical terrains, the dissertation explores the following: Kwanzaa's place within the two-century-old black holiday tradition and the development of a black cultural calendar; the origin of Kwanzaa in Los Angeles; the growth of black cultural nationalism and Kwanzaa's diffusion within the black neighborhood public sphere in American cities; the corporate and cultural institutional commodification of Kwanzaa not only for profit, but for public relations and goodwill. In examining these areas with the use of oral histories, mainstream and community newspapers, magazines, academic periodical literature and personal collections, I have uncovered two Kwanzaas: one, the black nationalist Kwanzaa steeped in ideas about traditional Africa, the essence of race, and the absence of culturally viable representations. This Kwanzaa was designed to liberate African-Americans from white oppression by rejecting American culture. The second is the multicultural Kwanzaa-a holiday less concerned with liberation and Black Power, but more attuned to bringing people together and celebrating diversity. The multicultural Kwanzaa was a product of corporations, museums, schools, the media, and the state.
The US Organization: African-American cultural nationalism in the era of Black Power, 1965 to the 1970s, Scot D. Brown, PhD, CORNELL UNIVERSITY, 1999
This dissertation examines a distinct period in the history of the US Organization, a cultural nationalist formation based in Southern California. The time frame of this study, roughly from 1965 until the early ‘70s, highlights US’ role within the prism of a popular resurgence in African-American nationalism—the Black Power movement. US was founded in 1965 by Maulana Karenga and remains currently active. Although relatively small in membership, US established a network of alliances with a diverse body of activists, artists and organizations throughout the United States, making it possible for its cultural nationalist philosophy,Kawaida , to have a far reaching impact. US is most widely known for its chairman's, Maulana Karenga, 1966 founding of the currently popular week-long African-American cultural holidayKwanzaa . This dissertation attempts to present a broad analytic historical narrative exploring this group's philosophy, internal dynamics, political activism, influence on Black art and decline during the era of Black Power. US cultural nationalism was influenced by international developments: anti-colonial struggles in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the Negritude movement and African nationalism. The organization's internal structure and philosophy also built on examples from older Black nationalist organizations in the United States; the Universal Negro Improvement Association and the Nation of Islam. This study further explores key contradictions that adversely affected the flourishing of US as well as the broader Black Power movement; authoritarianism, sexism and elitist vanguard politics. Scholarly commentary about US has been inordinately influenced by a war of words linked to a violent feud between US and the Black Panther Party. The Black Panther Party popularized derogatory conceptions of US, labeling the group farcical and non-political. Venturing beyond the confines of internecine rivalry, this examination of US indicates that the organization's 1960s activism in municipal politics, community organizing, Black Power Conferences, independent education, developing alliances with other people of color, and underground resistance, situates it as a central political force in the era of Black Power.
A program to raise the faith level in African-American children through Scripture, Kwanzaa principles and culture, Janette Elizabeth Chandler Kotey, DMin, ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY,1999
...The purpose of this study is to make a comparison of church and non-churched African American children ranging from 9 to 12 years of age, to show that there are differences regarding their perception of themselves, of God and of others. This comparison will see the emotional, spiritual and cultural aspects of each group. In order to achieve this comparison, this study was designed to address issues in order to heighten the cognitive awareness in the chosen age groups. The research shows that if African American children are taught their culture, scripture and the Kwanzaa principles, the awareness of who they are increases. First, this project set out to expose the non-expectancy and, in some cases, low-expectancy of the African American race to have worthy relationships and fellowship with God and themselves. Second, this project verified God's desire for African American children to come unto Him and accept His plan for their lives. This project sought to help children to (a) become familiar with their cultural history, (b) examine their thoughts of self-worth and acceptance, (c) become more consciously aware of the importance of confessing and utilizing God's Word on a daily basis, and (d) focus on principles that were essential for their upward mobility. The project involved children ages 9–12 years at St. Paul United Methodist Church and the Roseland Homes Apartment Complex of Dallas, Texas. The participants were able to view themselves in an elevated light, exposing their value to God and humankind, and equipped to change their perceptions of themselves and their environment. The researcher led eight sessions over a 5-week period during an inner city camp program (Camp SucSeed) hosted by St. Paul United Methodist Church. Each session was one and one-half hours in length and consisted of lectures, activities, question and answer period, and spiritual devotions. Fifteen children were chosen each from St. Paul United Methodist Church and the Roseland Apartment Complex. A Questionnaire, “Me and the Inside,” was administered as a pre- and post-test to the participants and consisted of twenty-eight questions with a format of true, false and uncertain. Scores increased by a range of .05 percent to 164 percent, from the pre- to post-test between the two groups, respectively....Posted by perry032 at December 29, 2005 08:34 AM