Date of Award

Fall 5-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Communication, Media, and Theatre

First Advisor

Nancy McVittie, Ph.D.

Abstract

Disney/Marvel’s Black Panther (Coogler, 2018) is touted as a cultural phenomenon for its predominately Black cast and crew and its portrayal of Blackness and Africa in progressive and noble ways. However, Black Panther’s demonstration of the tenets of Alice Walker’s Womanism bears deeper examination. The superhero movie Black Panther is relevant culturally and scholarly, not only because it broke domestic and international box office records, nor because a predominately Black cast and crew led these achievements, but because these firsts are achieved through a film driven by strong themes of Womanism.

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