The Analysis of Sociocultural Practice behind "The Blacker the Berry" A Novel of Wallace Thurman

Abstract

This study was conducted to answer a question: what the discursive events as instances of socio-cultural practice behind the novel are. It used a part of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) approach offered by Fairclaugh (1989). The framework is characterized as Gramscian theory of hegemony. It can be concluded from the findings on the analysis of sociocultural practice through discursive events that Emma Lou, who suffered most, who had been unconsciously colonized, was actually the only one who was in power, who was responsible, and who had the means and the opportunity to solve problems which were the domination of colorism. Colorism was identified as the major hegemony, while the minor ones were feminism and racism. This study has no direct contribution in language education but there was still an indirect pedagogical implication especially related to literary based curriculum, as an invitation as an invitation for English teachers to empower the students to critically interpret various kinds texts.