Date of Award
5-2024
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Academic Program
Political Science BA
Department
Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs
First Advisor
Marek Steedman, Ph.D.
Advisor Department
Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs
Abstract
Segregation academies are products of the desegregation of public schools in the American South. For decades, they have educated generations of families within this region of the United States. Today, segregation academies are still active educational institutions, with thousands of schools representing a period of history that founded them based on the exclusion of African Americans. Previous literature on segregation academies details their histories, but little focuses on them within a twenty-first-century context. Further, this research asks how segregation academies socialize their students in political affiliations. Little research on political socialization has differentiated by school type, and none have studied segregation academies. Therefore, through a qualitative interview study, this research seeks to answer the research question to fill this literature gap. This study finds that not only do segregation academies socialize, but they tend to socialize in a conservative direction. Interview participants also experience reverse socialization in that their political affiliations are different than the conservative viewpoint their school provided. These unique findings suggest a path forward in which segregation academies can learn to nurture all student beliefs in an environment where all opinions can be heard and respected.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Allen, Hanna, "A History of Mississippi Segregation Academies and How They Serve as Agents of Socialization in Students’ Political Affiliations" (2024). Honors Theses. 950.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/950