Strategies of Joy in Social Movements
Black Oral Storytelling
Storytelling is a joyous act – for the teller and for the audience – even as it is used to openly speak hard truths in hidden ways. The Black storytelling tradition has been a tool for healing from racial trauma, ensuring that research and pedagogy illuminate and creatively address inequalities, imagining new futures, and engaging in joy as resistance.
However, joy becomes so tied to resistance that it is difficult not to feel the weight of struggle. Is it possible that “joy for the sake of joy” can be a transformative act alongside “joy as resistance”? In what ways can myth-making within Black storytelling traditions be an intentional tool for resistance? Can the collective creation of unbelievable works of fiction by communities of Black liberation storytellers be a political act? What social impacts do actions that are “joy for the sake of joy” have when done in an intentionally justice-oriented community?
Learn More
Below you'll find responses to FAQs about the research project [IRB: #2025-1224]. Click through to learn more about what it means for a person to participate.
If you are interested in participating, fill out this interest form (https://bryant.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b96d8OaeUDlQRg2). One of the research team members will respond to you within a week.
Source: Brock DuPont
What is the Black oral storytelling tradition?
Oral storytelling in the African diasporic tradition includes elements such as “call and response” (i.e., dynamic interaction between the storyteller and the listener that supports the energy of the telling, building communal bonds through a participatory style that encourages the listeners to remember the stories), improvisation in response to context, communal participation, and passing down stories (history, folktales, legends, myths, etc.) of the African diaspora. Various performative art mediums in which the Black oral storytelling tradition is followed include (but are not limited to) spoken word, hip-hop, and oral storytelling.
Who is conducting this research project?
Jocelyn T. Bell, Ph.D. is the principal investigator of this project. She is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Bryant University. You can read more about her on the "About" page of this website. At a later date, different research team members will join her. Their information will appear here when that happens.
What is the research project about?
This research seeks to explore strategies of joy in social movements. Social movements’ strategic use of acts of joy as resistance against oppressive forces can help us imagine creative ways to work together for justice. How does focusing on strategies of joy, especially creating a vision of the future, shape how we strategize to make change and what we think a political act should look like? This study will include people with a vested interest in the Black oral storytelling tradition practiced in New England. The Black oral storytelling tradition has been a tool for engaging in joy as resistance for centuries across the African diaspora.
What will I be asked to do if I decide to participate?
If you decide to participate and you are eligible to participate, you will be invited to engage in at least one of these research activities: an interview, a focus group discussion, or a survey. Interview: You would take part in at least one interview that will take about 30 minutes to complete (more time depending upon your interest and availability). The interview will include topics related to your experiences with and/or expertise about storytelling in the Black oral storytelling tradition, especially related to strategies of joy to support justice efforts addressing racial and ethnic injustice. Focus group discussion: You will participate in a 1.5 hour guided discussion with 3-6 other individuals on topics related to experiences as storytellers in the Black oral storytelling tradition and as experts in the Black oral storytelling traditions and/or the use of strategies of joy in social movements. Survey: You will complete a 10 minute survey about your experience as a listener of Black oral storytelling, including topics about the impact of the stories and the experience of hearing the stories in community.
Will any of this be recorded or photographed?
We will audio record (sound), video record, and/or photograph (picture) your participation in this study only with your permission. The recording(s) and/or photographs may use your voice and/or likeness, which can identify you. You do not have to consent to be recorded or photographed in order to take part in the main research. Photographs and any visual recordings (with or without sound) will be used for analysis by the research team. They may also be used for presentations, publications, and the creation of a documentary to be publicly shown about strategies for joy in justice movements rooted in racial identity and ethnic identity (ethno-racial). If you consent to your likeness/voice/proprietary images being included in the documentary, you will not be compensated for it.
Source: Christian Agbede
What are the risks and/or discomforts I might experience if I take part in the research project?
Because public discourse, legal interpretations, and public policy approaches to ethno-racial justice movements continue to evolve, it is not possible to fully anticipate all future political/legal risks. To minimize those risks, if you are asked to complete a consent form, you are able to choose the level of confidentiality you want. You will periodically be reminded of your options. Also, you will not be asked to disclose illegal activities and you are advised not to share information you believe could place you at risk. Breach of confidentiality is also a risk, but a data security plan is in place to minimize such a risk. Also, some questions may make you feel uncomfortable. If that happens, you can skip those questions, ask that your responses to those questions remain anonymized, or withdraw from the study altogether. If you decide to withdraw from the study, your responses will NOT be saved.
Are there any benefits to me if I choose to take part in this research project?
Participation can provide you with an opportunity to narrate your experiences in your own words and on your own terms. You will also be contributing to 1) the preservation of Black oral storytelling traditions, 2) the preservation and formation of strategies of joy for ethno-racial justice in the United States and around the world, and 3) the sociological knowledge on culture and non-violent ethno-racial justice efforts.
Will I be paid to take part in this research project?
You will not be paid to take part in this study. Jocelyn is constantly searching for funding, though, that can help change that. She's open to ideas.
Source: Desre Lanre-Ologun
How will information about me be kept private or confidential?
All efforts will be made to keep your responses confidential (except for where you waive confidentiality), but total confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. •If you choose to allow this study to use your full identification information (i.e., use of your name and, if applicable, likeness), your identifiable information (e.g., the information in a consent form, recording(s), photographs) will be stored with your responses. We will securely store your responses in a password-protected file. There is no plan to delete the data for which you provided consent for full identification. •If you decide to opt out of full identification (i.e., use of your name and, if applicable, likeness), your identifiable information (e.g., the information in a consent form, recording(s), photographs) will not be stored with your responses. Instead, your responses will be assigned a subject # which will be stored separately from your identifiable information so others will not know which responses are yours. We will securely store the key code linking your responses to your identifiable information in a separate password-protected file which will be destroyed after data analysis is complete and study findings are professionally presented or published. No information that can identify you will appear in any professional presentation or publication.
What will happen if I do not want to take part or decide later not to stay in the research project?
Your participation is totally voluntary, and your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your future relations with Bryant University or its employees in any way. If you decide to participate, you are also free to discontinue participation at any time without affecting such relationships. You must notify Jocelyn in writing (jbell13@bryant.edu) of your decision to discontinue.
Who can take part in the research project?
This part of the study is primarily focused on Black oral storytelling in New England and so participants will be centered in that region. • Storytellers (or storytelling organizations) using the Black oral storytelling tradition in New England • People that these storytellers explicitly state are storyteller mentors • People who have listened to storytelling in the Black oral tradition in New England • Experts on Black oral storytelling traditions and/or strategies of joy for ethno-racial justice movements in particular and social movements in general
Can I participate even though I'm not Black?
Absolutely. You can practice Black oral storytelling traditions and not be Black. You can appreciate and be impacted by Black oral storytelling traditions and not be Black.
Source: Emediong Umoh