Punished: Identity Development of Black Boys in a Figured World of Exclusion

This study invokes the theory of self and identity to investigate how multiply marginalized students, namely, Black boys with disabilities, are subjected to and make sense of exclusionary discipline, as well as the ways in which it impacts their identity fashioning processes. Drawing on Intersectionality, an instrumental case study design was employed to understand the experiences of five Black boys who formed their practiced identities in and through their day-to-day engagement in and interactions with disciplinary moments within the U.S. Connor School District (CSD; pseudonym). Amid a figured world of exclusion, the boys grappled with the social discourse and practices to accept, resist, or negotiate school-imposed identities. Data sources included interviews, observations, and educational documents. Disciplinary moments and experiences were found to both mediate and constrain the boys’ self-making. Recommendations for research, practice, and policy are presented.