Geographies of persistence: testimonios of endurance from Black women academics through hip hop music elicitation

Monét V.-F. Harbison

doi:10.17918/00011086

Back

Dissertation

Geographies of persistence: testimonios of endurance from Black women academics through hip hop music elicitation

Monét V.-F. Harbison

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University

Jun 2025

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17918/00011086

Files and links (4)

pdf

Harbison_Monet_20253.67 MB

PDFDissertation Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 31 Jul 2027

xlsx

Harbison_Monet_2025_Suppl112.13 kB

Spreadsheet (supplemental)Reflexive Playlist Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 31 Jul 2027

xlsx

Harbison_Monet_2025_Suppl213.65 kB

Spreadsheet (supplemental)Sample Coding Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 31 Jul 2027

png

Harbison_Monet_2025_Suppl31.12 kB

Image (supplemental)Music Elicitation QR Code Embargoed Access, Embargo ends: 31 Jul 2027

Abstract

Black women in academia

Hip hop music elicitation

Spatial imaginaries

Testimonios

Womanism

Women's Studies

This dissertation investigated the spatial experiences and enduring persistence of early academic Black women, doctoral students, candidates, and recent Ph.D. graduates, within the socio-historical, exclusionary context of U.S. academia. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of spatial imaginaries and womanism, this study is an exploration of how Black women engage with and reimagine both the material and imagined academic spaces they inhabit. Drawing on the synergistic methodologies of testimonio and hip hop music elicitation, the research centers culturally resonant narratives that reveal how participants confront and navigate systemic oppression, epistemic violence, and hyper/invisibility. Through in-depth analysis of the provided narratives, this study illuminates how these women reclaim space, form community and articulate their refusal as resistance via music evoked memory and testimonio. Findings highlight how strategic silence, embodied refusal, and cultural anchoring act as critical tools for spatial negotiation. The study additionally introduces Womanist Spatial Theory, an original conceptual framework that examines the spatial realities of Black women within the critical geographic context. Ultimately, the dissertation offers new insights on how Black women persist, heal, and reshape geographies of belonging in the academy, advancing both methodology and theory.

Metrics

25 Record Views

Details

Title: Geographies of persistence
Creators: Monét V.-F. Harbison
Contributors: Christopher G. Wright (Advisor)
Awarding Institution: Drexel University
Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Publisher: Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Number of pages: xi, 161 pages
Resource Type: Dissertation
Language: English
Academic Unit: School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
Other Identifier: 991022058733104721

Geographies of persistence: testimonios of endurance from Black women academics through hip hop music elicitation

Files and links (4)

Abstract

Metrics

Details

Drexel University Social media