Abstract
Discourse is one of the central ways that power and resistance are enacted. Discourse produces our social world, establishes and enforces disciplinary norms, and creates subjects. Hence, the meanings and definitions associated with Black individuals provide insight into the latitude that people of African descent may be granted to engage with health, religious, and spirituality practices that are contemporarily associated with whiteness. In the United States, well-being practices such as long-distance running, seeking therapy, and eating a vegan diet are often associated with white people. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to explore how religious and spiritual discourses, particularly discourses about Christianity, intersect with Black women’s health and well-being practices. Based on 28 semi-structured interviews with Black women in the United States who distributed health content through three well-being focused Instagram hashtags (i.e., #blackgirlsrun, #therapyforblackgirls, and #blackvegan), the interview data indicated that the participants navigated a combination of religious discourses and racialized discourses that served to discipline them into embracing more traditional forms of spirituality and conceptions of health. Participants noted that their Black friends, family members, and acquaintances used Bible verses and Biblical teachings to discourage them from engaging with long distance running, therapy, and veganism on the grounds that it was “ungodly” and inappropriate for Black people. Despite this disciplining, the participants harness the affordances of social media to construct and maintain vibrant online health communities for Black women, and Black people more broadly, dedicated to the pursuit of well-being.
Presenters
Shanice CameronAssistant Professor, Communication Studies, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Religious Community and Socialization
KEYWORDS
Black women, Christianity, Health, Well-being, Disciplinary power
