Catherine Knight Steele
The Digital Barbershop: Blogs and Online Oral Culture Within the African American Community
University of Maryland, College Park
african americans legacy oral communication within community transferred online spaces blogging provides platform features mirror many components black barbershop barber beauty shop symbolize space retreat wherein african americans formed alternate publics used critique dominant culture foster resistance strengthen african american institutions analysis nine african americanauthored blogs using method critical technocultural discourse analysis demonstrates blog used traditional black rhetorical strategies making modifications contemporary goals strategies involve modifications made traditional black humor folktales writing style highly performative yet relies upon participant interaction reliance orality necessary force maintenance cultural traditions long worked assist group definition acts resistance political power struggles utilizing modified song narrative fables articulate resistance craft african american identity african american online oral culture persists strategy house political discourse within often hidden enclave spaces digital barbershop