Year of Graduation
2024
Document Type
Thesis
Major
Theatre
Directing Professor
Suellen da Costa Coelho and Dr. Wendy-Marie Martin
Abstract
The Hollins Community is a local Virginian African diaspora whose histories are intertwined with the legacy of the Hollins University campus itself. A condition not unique in consideration of the various African diasporic communities within the United States and abroad. How can the legacies of colonialism be addressed in this community? How can healing be prompted in a community whose memories of injustice persist? How can restorative justice persist when the histories of a community were left from published records?
Through the application of practices utilized by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Post-Apartheid South Africa, this thesis seeks actionable methods of restorative justice. Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Pan-Africanism and postcolonial theory, and employing a performance ethnography methodology, this thesis explores practices that have proven effective in amplifying voices of the African diaspora, such as those of the Hollins Community. The culmination of this research is the theatrical performance “The Hollins Living History Project,” which employs performance-based practices of the TRC to uplift both the individual and collective experiences of the Hollins Community to create a pathway towards restorative justice for both this local African diaspora and the wider campus population.
Recommended Citation
Moore, China, "Hollins University: Living History Project" (2024). Undergraduate Honors Theses, Hollins University. 73.
https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/ughonors/73