Making Space for Black Girlhood: A Womanish/st Pastoral Theology

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.