Theses and Dissertations
Advisor
Atkinson, Ted
Committee Member
Swanson, Kemeshia
Committee Member
Shaffer, Donald
Date of Degree
5-16-2025
Original embargo terms
Visible MSU Only 6 months
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Campus Access Only
Major
English
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Department of English
Abstract
This thesis explores how Black motherhood and kinship serve as subversive forces within necropolitical landscapes in Jesmyn Ward’s Where the Line Bleeds, Salvage the Bones, and Sing, Unburied, Sing. Drawing on Achille Mbembe’s theory of necropolitics, this study examines how the economic and social constraints of these environments disrupt Black family structures, emphasizing the necessity of kinship for survival. In Where the Line Bleeds, Cille’s absence disrupts traditional family roles, yet kinship networks allow the family to endure. In Salvage the Bones, Esch’s journey redefines the “bad” Black teen mother stereotype, highlighting how kinship offers support amidst stigma. In Sing, Unburied, Sing, Leonie’s trauma is depicted as a product of necropolitical forces, revealing how Black motherhood is influenced by deeper societal and historical wounds. Ultimately, this thesis suggests that kinship and Black motherhood operate as survival mechanisms and resistance in oppressive environments.
Recommended Citation
Reeder, Hailey N., "“Sometimes the world don’t give you what you need”: Black motherhood and kinship as resistance to necropolitics in Jesmyn Ward’s Bois Sauvage" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 6561.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/6561
