Outstanding Dissertation Award (Nov. 2009)

No one was more surprised than I to hear that I’d won an Outstanding Dissertation [1] Award from the National Communication Association in 2009. Elsewhere on this site (“Thank You” under “Blogs”), I have talked about the blood, sweat and tears that my family, advisers, partner and I put into this project. I’m so pleased that someone besides us thinks that it’s important and worth reading. I’m currently awaiting a review from a publisher to see if it can be adapted into a book manuscript for publication in late 2010. Fingers crossed...

In the meantime, here is some of what my adviser had to say about it: “Dawkins develops what might be called a Sophistic theory of passing as a rhetorical performance that, attentive to context, situation, and audience, strives to be fitting or appropriate (to prepon) and, when persuasive, generates doxastic knowledge of identity. Put even more briefly, and in Kenneth Burke’s dramatistic terms, Dawkins treats identity as an on-going process of forging identifications. This rhetorical turn is profoundly significant, as it opens a meaningful space for creative agency on the part of passers and their audiences alike… As Dawkins emphasizes in her opening and closing remarks, these matters could not be more timely given the historic campaign and election of our first mixed-race, African-American (passing-as-black!) president and the attendant question whether America has become a 'post-racial' society. Although this certainly is not a dissertation about Obama, Dawkins answers the question raised by his Presidency, emphatically, 'no'; she offers a reading particularly of his 'A More Perfect Union' address that understands it to be an invitation to frank, honest deliberation about the complexities and contradictions of race in America, and not to foreclose such deliberation as either wrongheaded or unnecessary. She is exactly right, I submit, about our historical moment and opportunity, and about the value of her study and approach in this moment. This study is exceptional, finally, in the writing, which is elegant and evocative. Dawkins has a real gift for artful turns of phrase and dense, almost poetic expression: so much so that readers accustomed to typical, turgid dissertation-ese at first may find her style a bit opaque. I confess that, early on, I encouraged her to be, essentially, more pedantic. Happily, I did not entirely succeed. Dwelling with her sparkling prose for a time is well worth the effort in order to appreciate fully its pregnant meaning.” I am humbled, truly, by these words from someone whose opinion I respect profoundly.

The real fun was had on November 14th at the 2009 NCA Convention in Chicago, Illinois. There I was presented with the award by the African American Communication and Culture Division. I had the privilege of being supported by my truly outstanding and gifted adviser from USC, Randy Lake, my partner and cheerleader, Harry Guillermo Mendoza [2], and my gracious department chair at CSUF, John Reinard. It truly felt like a family celebration. Here are some pictures from the event. I hope that you will enjoy them and celebrate with me. BTW…if you want to read excerpts from, or, if you’re among the really brave, my entire dissertation, please feel free to contact me. I’d be happy to share it with you and anticipate your feedback. Thanks for your support.