More than a nigger: how nigger/a constitutes masculinity

Abstract

Words maintain a particular power over us constituting personalities, beliefs, actions, and reactions. We are a reflection of the words we both use to subject others and by which are subjected. These words often reinforce ideologies that create a consciousness for social interactions. “Nigger” and “nigga,” words derived from an abhorrent history, are consequential to the reality, perceptions, and experiences of those who deploy the word and those who are subjected by the word. This thesis examines the ways in which “nigger/a” constitutes masculinity for both the addresser and the addressed when deployed by individuals who identify as Black and individuals who do not identify as Black in film, stand-up comedy, and hip-hop. Analysis of these three discursive genres illustrates how “nigger/a” is a fragmented text with the capacity to constitute masculinity in diverse and sometimes competing ways. Through this thesis I hope to expand on the preceding research and understandings of the term and promote a responsible deployment of the word and the acknowledgment of both its history and its capacity.