Interdisciplinary

Philogyny in Hip-Hop & Professional Identity: Female Hip-Hop Culture Shapes How Women Show up in Corporate America 
 

Katherine Mamwacha
Texas Tech University

Black women continue to face systemic barriers to advancement in corporate America, often navigating expectations surrounding confidence, professionalism, and executive presence that their peers aren't held to. Although researchers have examined hip-hop through the lenses of media representation, gender, and Black feminist thought, limited research has explored how hip-hop feminism may shape the professional identities of Black women in corporate environments. This proposed study examines whether and how themes of self-worth, authenticity, ambition, and boundary-setting expressed by female hip-hop artists, particularly through philogyny (admiration for women), influence how Black women understand and perform leadership in professional settings. Drawing on Black feminist theory and intersectionality, the study employs a multimethod qualitative approach: content analysis of selected hip-hop lyrics and music videos, discourse analysis of public online discussions, and semi-structured interviews with Black women professionals. The study will identify recurring themes related to confidence, executive presence, code-switching, self-advocacy, and identity formation while exploring whether participants perceive these themes as influential in their professional development. Because data collection has not yet begun, findings are not available; however, the study is expected to provide insight into the relationship between hip-hop feminism and professional identity or reveal other significant influences that shape Black women's leadership experiences. The anticipated findings will contribute to work on leadership, organizational communication, Black feminist thought, and popular culture while highlighting the importance of culturally informed approaches to leadership development and organizational inclusion. Future research may expand this work by examining additional cultural influences, industries, and longitudinal changes in professional identity.

Pneumatic Transformational Soteriology: Reimagining Evangelical Soteriology with a Pneumatic Anthropology 
 

Jackson E. Paladin
Lee University

This project seeks to liberate evangelical soteriology from the restraint of forensic soteriology to arrive at a truly evangelical doctrine, centered around individual transformation and dynamic narratives of salvation, appropriated to the individual by the Spirit with eschatological fulfillment. I will use a pneumatic anthropology to argue for an ontological alteration at conversion (Spirit baptism) due to the reintroduction of the Spirit into individual persons. The reception of the Spirit is the fulfilment of the human telos laid out at the original creation of humanity and the definitive answer to the human struggle against the enemies of God: Death and Sin and thus is a return to the original design and telos of humanity. While the ontological alteration of Spirit baptism is immaterial in nature, humans, as bipartite creatures, push immaterial identity into embodied existence, and thus the immaterial transformation is tied to moral transformation and is a necessary step in the salvation of the entire human person which is teleologically oriented. Human persons, if given time and opportunity, must persevere towards the totality of their salvation, which finds eschatological fulfillment in the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, who will return to defeat Death and Sin with finality and to recapitulate humanity.

Motivation and Achievement Among Marginalized Youth: How Traditional Martial Arts Training Embody Educational Intervention.
 

Will McClendon

Marginalized youth especially low-income and first-generation students often face school environments shaped by racialized bias, cultural misrecognition, and limited developmental support (Langer-Osuna and Nasir, 2016. Nunn, 2019). Those conditions can weaken belonging, mastery orientation, and persistence in higher education. Using scoping review of academic research, this study explores how Traditional Martial Arts Training (TMAT) could be used in developing identity, self-efficacy, and achievement motivation among first generation college student. How can traditional martial arts training (TMAT) help first- generation students stay grounded in the mental space needed for higher education? In what ways might martial arts serve as a violence-prevention strategy distinct from competitive school sports that can reinforce harmful masculine norms? How does the philosophy of TMAT shape the skills needed for post traumatic growth development in first-generation college students?