| dc.description.abstract | This dissertation asserts the value of Black girl voices and regards their unique ways of knowing as valuable epistemology and, therefore, challenges Womanist theology’s current treatment of Black girl narratives. I frame my argument using Womanist pastoral theology, a branch of Womanist theology and practical theology, as a microcosm for the sake of the Womanist theology as a whole. I engage Womanist pastoral theology because of its unique position as a theology of care and its ability to explore various perspectives psychologically and in light of implications. I argue that the psychological dimensions of Black girlhood are most telling for understanding Black girl epistemology, as it divulges levels of cognitive and identity development as well as self-perception, all of which differentiates Black girlhood from Black womanhood. To that end, this dissertation ultimately proposes and introduces a methodological approach called the Kaleidoscopic Analytical Perspective (KAP), a dynamic methodology that engages Black girlhood narratives and their unique epistemology in light of Black girl psycho-social and cultural dimensions and Womanish/st theological reflection. | |
