Author

Hanna Allen

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.

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