Off-campus WSU users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your WSU access ID and password, then click the "Off-campus Download" button below.
Non-WSU users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.
Access Type
WSU Access
Date of Award
January 2023
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Communication
First Advisor
Donyale Padgett
Abstract
This study examined the everyday, underreported lived experiences that people of color have with racially motivated acts of ostracism. Ostracism is a phenomenon and umbrella term that encapsulates how people of color experience ostracism, including social rejection, social exclusion, offensive humor, microaggressions, stereotyping, and silencing/ignoring. Using a grounded, social constructivist approach, 22 participants were recruited for one-on-one and group interview sessions exploring their experiences with racially motivated ostracism. Three communication theories provided the foundation for my theory, titled The Communication of Racially Motivated Ostracism. I define racially motivated ostracism acts as the intentional act of marginalizing, excluding, rejecting, isolating, and/or silencing people of color, reinforcing their vulnerable positions in racialized societies. Expectancy Violations Theory served to theorize and explain the reflexive stage of an ostracism experience, while Standpoint Theory served as a theoretical framework to understand a target’s sense-making process and communication strategies enacted in response to the source of ostracism. Communication Accommodation Theory provided a background on the different ways that targets adjust or don't adjust their behaviors in response to their ostracism experiences. After the analysis, it was found that a plethora of emotions and feelings were experienced during the ostracism act and after reflection. Feelings and emotions described during and after the ostracism experiences included: anger/frustration, sadness, disappointment, shock, acceptance/resignation, confusion, and embarrassment. The sense-making factors that influenced how participants processed racially motivated ostracism experiences during childhood, adolescence and adulthood included racial stigmas/stereotypes, historical events and their perceived connection to religion, media representation, family/friend/other advice and thoughts, past experiences with racially motivated ostracism, and immigration status/language differences. Participants engaged in a variety of communication strategies in response to their experiences, including accommodation, divergence/differentiation, maintenance, and support seeking. Implications are discussed regarding the need to pay closer attention to these everyday, underreported experiences with racially motivated ostracism.
Recommended Citation
Albrehi, Fatima, "The Communication Theory Of Racially Motivated Ostracism: Exploring How People Of Color Experience Ostracism" (2023). Wayne State University Dissertations. 3900.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/3900
