Examining Black Women's Identity in Maya Angelou's Poetry through Tajfel's Social Identity Theory: A Feminist Perspective

Abstract

           Maya Angelou's poetry is an expression of black women's identity through the lens of Tajfel's Social Identity theory, a feminist perspective. This study aims to explore the cultural identities and experiences of black women in an anti-black society by using a black feminist theoretical perspective. The study acknowledges the unique cultural experiences of black women regardless of their diversity and uses an implicit comparative, qualitative, explorative, argumentative, and analytical method of scientific research. Divided into an introduction and three parts, this study provides an in-depth analysis of Maya Angelou's poetry and its connection to black women's identity. The findings of this study shed light on the complexity of black women's experiences and cultural identities in the face of oppression. The study also focuses on analyzing the ways in which Maya Angelou's poetry reflects the experiences and identities of Black women, and how Tajfel's social identity theory can be used to understand these experiences. The study specifically focuses on analyzing empowering selected poems _ Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ’Fore I Diiie (1971)_ by Maya Angelou and examining the themes of identity, oppression, and resistance in her work. The study also explores how Angelou's work reflects the principles of Black feminism and feminist theory, and how her work can be used to further our understanding of the experiences of Black women.