Possibilities for Making Institutional Change: An Institutional Critique of Diversity Discourse at a Predominantly White Institution

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dc.contributor.authorEvans, Amilia Natashaen
dc.contributor.committeechairMueller, Dereken
dc.contributor.committeememberLindgren, Chris A.en
dc.contributor.committeememberMaraj, Louis M.en
dc.contributor.committeememberCraig, Sherri Elaineen
dc.contributor.committeememberEvia Puerto, Carlosen
dc.contributor.departmentEnglishen
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-03T08:00:16Zen
dc.date.available2023-06-03T08:00:16Zen
dc.date.issued2023-06-02en
dc.description.abstractThe purpose of this dissertation is to explore how diversity discourse inscribes oppressive institutional structures (slavery, racism, and whiteness), specifically, institutional power, and offer possibilities for making sustainable change. This dissertation is an institutional critique (Porter et al. 2000) that includes Black women's experiences in diversity leadership roles at Virginia Tech, an analysis of the institution's bureaucratic structure, an analysis of diversity discourse published by Virginia Tech's Office for Inclusion and Diversity (OID), and climate surveys. By following diversity discourse, I explore how the discourse and modalities inscribe institutional power, the "outsider-within" construct of Black women, and obstructions to institutional change through discursive practices. In general, change happens at institutions but does not connote equitable, sustainable change. I argue that mapping the discursive and material construction of institutional power can reveal discursive methods/methodologies for remapping the institution toward inscribing structures of resistance.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralThe purpose of this dissertation is to explore how diversity discourse inscribes oppressive institutional structures (slavery, racism, and whiteness), specifically, institutional power, and offer possibilities for making sustainable change. This dissertation is an institutional critique (Porter et al. 2000) that includes Black women's experiences in diversity leadership roles at Virginia Tech, an analysis of the institution's bureaucratic structure, an analysis of diversity discourse published by Virginia Tech's Office for Inclusion and Diversity (OID), and climate surveys. By following diversity discourse, I explore how the discourse and modalities inscribe institutional power, the "outsider-within" construct of Black women, and obstructions to institutional change through discursive practices. The "outsider-within" positionality is "a marginality that stimulated a distinctive Black women's perspective on a variety of themes" (Collins, 2022) from a dual existence as an outsider within oppressive white spaces. Change happens at institutions but does not demonstrate equitable and sustainable change. I argue that investigating the discursive and material construction of institutional power (following the discourse) can reveal discursive methods/methodologies for implementing acts of resistance.en
dc.description.degreeDoctor of Philosophyen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:37801en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/115310en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectdiversityen
dc.subjectrhetoricalen
dc.subjectBlack feministen
dc.subjectinstitutionen
dc.subjectclimateen
dc.titlePossibilities for Making Institutional Change: An Institutional Critique of Diversity Discourse at a Predominantly White Institutionen
dc.typeDissertationen
thesis.degree.disciplineRhetoric and Writingen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.leveldoctoralen
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophyen

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