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ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

Motherhood Beyond Borders: Representations of the Experiences of Undocumented African Migrant Women in Two Contemporary Films

Jinad, Iswat Damilola
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1718245652437489

Abstract Details

2024, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, American Culture Studies.
This thesis examines the portrayal of mother-child disconnection and family separation among undocumented African immigrant women in the United States, as depicted in the films Anchor Baby (2010) and Nanny (2022). Through an analysis of these films, the study highlights the socioeconomic challenges faced by these women within the U.S. sociocultural landscape. It investigates how the films depict family separation and mother-child disconnection in relation to the broader issues of socioeconomic hardship, cultural displacement, and housing instability. Additionally, the research explores how African cosmology interprets the immigrant experiences of the female characters in these films. The purpose of this analysis is to contribute to the discourse on the experiences of (un)documented African immigrant women in the United States, promoting further studies in this area. The study focuses specifically on the representations in Anchor Baby and Nanny, rather than attempting to generalize across all African communities. The thesis is structured into three chapters: the first outlines the motivation for the study, the ongoing migration of Africans to the United States, and provides a literature review and an overview of intersectionality as a critical framework. The second chapter offers a detailed analysis of the films, exploring themes of mother-child disconnection, family separation, dreams, survival, disillusionment, fear, uncertainty, hostility, and racism. The final chapter reflects on the key themes addressed in the study.
Timothy Messer-Kruse, PhD (Committee Chair)
Alberto Gonzalez, PhD (Committee Member)
71 p.
African Literature; African Studies; American Studies
Family Separation; Mother-Child Disconnection; African Cosmology; Immigration; Undocumented African Immigrant Women; Loss; Trauma; Immigration Policy;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Jinad, I. D. (2024). Motherhood Beyond Borders: Representations of the Experiences of Undocumented African Migrant Women in Two Contemporary Films [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1718245652437489

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Jinad, Iswat. Motherhood Beyond Borders: Representations of the Experiences of Undocumented African Migrant Women in Two Contemporary Films. 2024. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1718245652437489.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Jinad, Iswat. "Motherhood Beyond Borders: Representations of the Experiences of Undocumented African Migrant Women in Two Contemporary Films." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2024. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1718245652437489

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1718245652437489
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© 2024, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Motherhood Beyond Borders: Representations of the Experiences of Undocumented African Migrant Women in Two Contemporary Films by Iswat Damilola Jinad is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.