Some people start their summer research with an experiment, but Geoffrey Hicks '09 (Newton Mass.) preferred to start with a more abstract problem: the relationship between shame and spirituality and the African American experience. A dual major in English and African Studies, Hicks came to his topic through the plays of August Wilson and this summer takes an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the complicated issue of blackness in America.
Hicks plans to work with various forms of African American culture in his efforts to "expose the reasons behind African American shame; to express how the pain, humiliation, and trauma of slavery have impacted African Americans." He will also address how a history of being treated as second-class citizens in their own country has affected both African and European Americans.
The African American experience has been, Hicks explained, defined by a severing of families and identities, of "any kind of individuality." The post-Civil War era, then, functioned as an effort to reclaim identity and personhood, a redefinition of what it means to be black in America. Hicks finds evidence for this movement and redefinition in such diverse media as visual art, music, literature, drama, and religion.
Hicks' current thoughts on his project are outlined by the theory that, in the U.S., the experience of shame lead to or caused a turn towards a stronger faith. "Blacks were forced to redefine themselves in a positive way:" having been removed from Africa and then denied the United States, "their home became Heaven."
A first time summer researcher, Hicks is optimistic about the experience. He has compiled a lengthy reading list and plans to spend the summer in the Burke Library reading and synthesizing. Research for Hicks is interesting and driven by strong emotions. "It's a real personal thing for me," he said.
During the year, Hicks is a member of the Choir and the College Hill Singers. He is also a Posse Scholar, the recipient of a prestigious leadership scholarship rooted in the belief that a group of talented students can serve as a catalyst for individual and community development.
Hicks' research this summer is funded by the Emerson Foundation Grant Program, which allows students to work closely with a faculty member researching in depth an area of the student's interest. Hicks will be collaborating with Professor Mark Cryer of the Theater Department.
- Lisbeth Redfield
Hicks plans to work with various forms of African American culture in his efforts to "expose the reasons behind African American shame; to express how the pain, humiliation, and trauma of slavery have impacted African Americans." He will also address how a history of being treated as second-class citizens in their own country has affected both African and European Americans.
The African American experience has been, Hicks explained, defined by a severing of families and identities, of "any kind of individuality." The post-Civil War era, then, functioned as an effort to reclaim identity and personhood, a redefinition of what it means to be black in America. Hicks finds evidence for this movement and redefinition in such diverse media as visual art, music, literature, drama, and religion.
Hicks' current thoughts on his project are outlined by the theory that, in the U.S., the experience of shame lead to or caused a turn towards a stronger faith. "Blacks were forced to redefine themselves in a positive way:" having been removed from Africa and then denied the United States, "their home became Heaven."
A first time summer researcher, Hicks is optimistic about the experience. He has compiled a lengthy reading list and plans to spend the summer in the Burke Library reading and synthesizing. Research for Hicks is interesting and driven by strong emotions. "It's a real personal thing for me," he said.
During the year, Hicks is a member of the Choir and the College Hill Singers. He is also a Posse Scholar, the recipient of a prestigious leadership scholarship rooted in the belief that a group of talented students can serve as a catalyst for individual and community development.
Hicks' research this summer is funded by the Emerson Foundation Grant Program, which allows students to work closely with a faculty member researching in depth an area of the student's interest. Hicks will be collaborating with Professor Mark Cryer of the Theater Department.
- Lisbeth Redfield
