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Abstract
At its core, this study is about the linkages between African American women, the political community work they perform in gender-specific organizations, and the development of a distinctive race and gender informed style of politics. This study examines contemporary middle class African American women's community work and its political consequences as a result of the impact of race, gender, and socioeconomic context on the norms, networks, and trust used in social capital formation. It tests how these political consequences manifest themselves in the ways African American communities are prepared for political action through community work, as well as the notion of leadership that arises from these locations. In doing so, this research seeks to answer two research questions: (1) what is the impact of race, gender, and socioeconomic context on the creation of networks, norms, and trust for social capital formation, and (2) what are the consequences of these factors on the political uses of social capital?
The dissertation hypothesizes that African American women's community work becomes a distinctive form of politics reflecting a tangible race-gender consciousness, privileging specific policy areas, promoting a particular perspective on political leadership, and utilizing strategies that contribute to the micromobilization of African American communities in the post-civil rights era. A model that uses Robnett's theory of social location and bridging (1997) and Shingles' theory of black group consciousness and mistrust (1981) is proposed to explain the impact and consequences of race, gender, and socioeconomic context on the objectives of African American women's civic engagement through community work.
In order to test these assertions, a case study examines local field chapters of three national African American women's community work organizations in the Washington DC metropolitan area. It employs quantitative and qualitative methods, including a survey, personal interviews, participant observation, historical analysis, and document analysis. Ultimately, the research describes the relationship between a distinctive race and gender informed style of politics, contemporary understandings of African American middle class participatory norms, and locally based community-building practices. It concludes that community work is a significant but tension filled approach synthesizing black women's race-gender perspectives and social capital.
