Woke Like Me: Experiences and Expectations of Wokeness Among College Students

• In Event: 64.089 - Sheraton Roundtable 12 - Grand Centre
  In Roundtable Session: 64.089-4 - Student Development in Evolving Diversity

Abstract

Woke, generally referring to awareness of social issues, has become commonplace in American popular and political cultures. The lengthy and culturally embedded history of woke implies this is not merely a fad. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the meaning of woke as understood by college students who identify as such, and to explore associated intra-group expectations and experiences. Results indicate that how students interpret wokeness colors their experience of related activities, such as activism, the standards they hold themselves and others to, and vice versa. How students manage those expectations impacts their self-image and the kind of community they foster, which in turn cyclically impacts their interpretation of wokeness and expectations of woke peers.

Author

• Hana Zewdie, University of Maryland - College Park