Deborah Whaley
View on Amazon
Deborah Whaley’s new book Disciplining Women: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Black Counterpublics, and the Cultural Politics of Black Sororities (SUNY Press, 2010) may be the first full-length study of a Black Greek-Letter Organization (BGLO) written by a non-BGLO member. But that’s not the only reason to read her book. Whaley takes an interdisciplinary approach to the study, which includes a personal rumination on her family’s relation to BGLO’s, interviews with sorority sisters, ethnographic participant observations, and literary and film analyses. Her foray into popular black culture is enriched by deep critical engagement with such texts as Spike Lee’s canonical film “School Daze” and the recent cinematic representation of Black Greek life “Stomp the Yard.” Whaley takes her subject matter seriously, but not so much so that her book lacks wit and charm. Indeed, her prose is just as pleasant, inviting, and engaging as she is in the interview. Check it out.
Subscribe with iTunes
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
“Black Greek” is just short for Black Greek Letter Organizations. Greek letters are used in academics, math etc…..plain and simple. No one is trying to be anything other than black. It has nothing to do with ignorance and denial of African culture and some romance with Greek culture.
There is no such thing as Black Greek. A history lesson should be given to all so called Black Greek members on their story( not his-story) about their ancestors way of life. There they would find profound wisdom about how Greek civilization on a whole is a knock off of ancient African(black) civilization.