Black haze : violence, sacrifice, and manhood in Black Greek-letter fraternities / Ricky L. Jones.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Jones, Ricky L., author.

Series:

SUNY series in African American studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Greek letter societies--United States.

Greek letter societies.

Hazing.

African American college students--Conduct of life.

African American college students.

United States.

Hazing--United States.

Physical Description:

xxiii, 202 pages ; 23 cm.

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Albany, NY : SUNY Press, [2015]

Summary:

Expanded and revised edition of the first book devoted solely to black fraternity hazing. Are black men naturally violent? Do they define manhood in the same way as their counterparts across lines of race? Are black Greek-letter fraternities among the most dangerous student organizations on American college and university campuses? Can their often-dangerous initiation processes be stopped or even modified and, if not, what should be done about them? In this second edition of Black Haze, Ricky L. Jones takes on these questions and more. The first edition was an enlightening and sometimes disturbing examination of American men's quest for acceptance, comfort, reaffirmation, and manhood in a world where their footing is often unstable. In this new edition Jones not only provides masterful philosophical and ethical analyses but he also forces the engagement of a terrifying real world process that damages and kills students with all too frequent regularity. With a revealing new preface and stunning afterword, Jones immerses the reader in an intriguing and dark world marked by hypermasculinity, unapologetic brutality, and sometimes death. He offers a compelling book that ranges well beyond the subject of hazing--one that yields perplexing questions and demands difficult choices as we move forward in addressing issues surrounding fraternities, violent hazing, black men, and American society. Ricky L. Jones is Professor and Chair of the Department of Pan-African Studies at the University of Louisville and the author of What's Wrong with Obamamania? Black America, Black Leadership, and the Death of Political Imagination, also published by SUNY Press.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Hazing Then and Now 1

Concern, Change, and Questions 2

The Influence of the Ancient and Modern Worlds on Black Greek Violence 7

Falsehoods and Failure: The Epistemic Domino Effect and Ethics in Greekdom 10

Chapter 2 Men, Media, and Movements 15

Habermas, the Public Sphere, and a Critical Approach to the Media 17

Problems with Habermas 19

BGFs, Social Movements, and Identity 20

The Politics of Personal Involvement: Gazing through Fraternity Men's Eyes 22

Chapter 3 The History of Black Greek-Letter Fraternities 27

American Greek-Letter Fraternalism 29

Black Entrance into American College Life 32

The Exclusion of Blacks from White Greek Life 33

The Founding of Black Greek-letter Fraternities 37

Alpha Phi Alpha 39

Kappa Alpha Psi 40

Omega Psi Phi 41

Phi Beta Sigma 42

Iota Phi Theta 43

BGF's Political Involvement 44

The Depoliticization of BGFs 48

Chapter 4 The Pledge Process as Sacrifice 51

Violence Vehicles: Rituals as Social Stabilizers 51

The Commonalities of Modern Fraternity Ritual 57

Hazing and the Symbolic Journey 59

The Lure of Liminality: The Ritualistic Remaking of the Self 66

Chapter 5 The Hegemonic Struggle and Domination in Black Greek-Letter Fraternities 75

Violence, Power, Hegemony, and Domination 78

Educated Gangs? To Pledge or Not to Pledge 82

Conservatism and Domination 96

BGF Ruling Blocs and the Membership Intake Epidemic 102

Chapter 6 Acceptance, Freedom, and Identity Construction In Black Greek-Letter Fraternities 109

Formations of the Black Male Self 109

Economic Anxiety 110

Black Identity Fragmentation 112

The Self, Selves, and the Victory of Consent 114

Akrasia and Choice 119

Substitution of the Fraternal Self 124

Chapter 7 Beyond the Fraternal Self 129

Afterword: Reflections On Failure 135

For Reputation and Revenue: The Champion and Sandusky Failures 136

The Organizational Bottom Line 140

The If Indictment 143.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781438456737

1438456735

9781438456720

1438456727

OCLC:

886880103