| |
| author |
Kasaun E. Henry
| | title |
The Nigrescence of Barack Obama's Intellectual History: From Multicultural Dreams to Black Intellectual Thought, 1961–2008
| | abstract |
This dissertation examines the relation between Obama's racial identity and his intellectual development. The latest studies on Obama's intellectual history have focused on the European and American intellectual influences on his thinking. However, growing evidence from reviews, anecdotes, personal correspondence, new biographies, and recent scholarly research on Obama's intellectual history strongly suggest that Obama's intellectual development is inextricably connected to his autodidactic immersion into black studies. Using William Cross's nigrescence theory, this study demonstrates that Obama's intellectual development was motivated by the evolution of his racial identity. My analysis shows that the nigrescence of Obama's intellectual development led him down the path of a black intellectual before he would become a professional politician.
| | school |
The Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Drew University
| | degree |
Ph.D. (2023)
|
| advisor |
Jonathan Rose
|
| committee |
John Lenz
William E. Cross
|
| full text | KHenry.pdf - requires Drew uLogin |
| |
