Rethabile Pratt, MA in Intercultural and International Communication
J. Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship, Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement, Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada
Supervised by Dr. David Black, Pratt’s research is inspired by violence that involves many of Brazil’s marginalized youth. It is a collaborative arts-based inquiry into how some of these youth are participating in empowering and emancipatory processes of redefining, reclaiming, and rejoicing in their cultural heritage and identity.
“Me Levanta” (It Lifts Me Up) exhibits creative, audio-visual self-expressions by at-risk Afro-Brazilian youth on their experiences with Afro-Brazilian dance, music, and Capoeira within the socio-cultural context of their lives in North-Eastern Brazil. Pratt is investigating outcomes of these arts for participants such as gaining self esteem as well as strength and relief from challenging life conditions, connecting with themselves and others in harmonious ways, learning principles of integrity and respect, and becoming more motivated to make growth-oriented choices for themselves and their communities.
Graduate Study Research Awards
