Deconstructing the Myth of the “Happy Niggra”: Using Critical Discourse Analysis and Constructed Grounded Theory to Examine the Sociocultural Transmission of Internalized Anti-Blackness

Date of Award

4-2025

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Angie Moe, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Jesse Smith, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Charles Crawford, Ph.D.

Fourth Advisor

Regis Fox, Ph.D.

Keywords

Educational socialization, internalized anti-Blackness, master narratives, social reproduction, sociocultural transmission, systemic racism

Abstract

This study examines how fifth-grade social studies textbooks contribute to the socio-cultural transmission of internalized anti-Blackness through the discursive construction of racial hierarchies and Black identity. Guided by two central research questions—In what ways are Black people narrativized in fifth-grade social studies textbooks? To what extent is the discourse sur-rounding Black people negative or subordinate?—the research employs critical discourse analysis (CDA) and constructed grounded theory (CGT) to analyze eight textbooks published by five leading educational companies. The study investigates the narratives, language, and ideological assumptions embedded within these texts, exploring how they shape perceptions of Black identity while reinforcing systemic racial hierarchies.

Two major themes emerged from the analysis. The first, Discursive Construction of Racial Hierarchy and Dehumanization, illustrates how textbooks portray Black people primarily through narratives of subjugation, victimhood, and commodification. Black individuals are often framed as passive objects within historical events, with their humanity diminished in favor of economic and utilitarian roles. These depictions align with the myth of the “happy slave” critiqued by Frederick Douglass, perpetuating the modern iteration of the “happy niggra” myth—a narrative that obscures systemic inequities by suggesting that Black people enjoy full access to education and opportunity. This false narrative undermines the unfulfilled promise of Brown v. Board of Education, which sought to position education as the great equalizer but failed to disrupt the structural forces of racialized oppression in education.

The second theme, Discursive Construction of Black Identity: Agency, Leadership, and Resistance, highlights moments where textbooks acknowledge Black resistance, leadership, and contributions to societal progress. However, these narratives are often framed as exceptional, situating figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman as outliers rather than as representative of broader patterns of Black agency and collective action. The selective portrayal of resistance, juxtaposed with overwhelming narratives of victimhood, reinforces a racial hierarchy that marginalizes Black experiences and limits their representation within the curriculum.

These findings underscore the role of textbooks as ideological tools in the sociocultural reproduction of anti-Blackness, framing Black identity within a dual narrative of dehumanization and constrained agency. The study calls for critical interventions in educational curricula to disrupt these harmful narratives, emphasizing the need to integrate equitable, nuanced, and humanizing representations of Black history and identity. The study also calls for Black people to engage in the daily practice of self-love to mitigate against the rooting of such narratives about Black people.

Access Setting

Dissertation-Abstract Only

Restricted to Campus until

5-1-2027

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