A Seat at the Kitchen Table: Co-Autoethnographic Narratives by Black Women Interpersonal Communication Faculty

This paper explored the collaborative reflections of five Black women interpersonal communication (IPC) scholars in tenure-track positions at research institutions across the United States. Via a multiphase qualitative study, this paper interrogates the historical disavowal of racialized scholars(hip) in the field of IPC, the multilayered experiences of Black women research faculty, and possibilities for future Black women scholars(hip) in IPC. First, we employed Sistah circle methodology and held a panel about Black women’s Kitchen Table Talk at a national communication conference, which we audio recorded. Then, using collaborative autoethnography, we analyzed the recording and explored how academia’s master narratives have been sedimented and subverted through our performances as Black women communication scholars. The authors highlighted three master narratives regarding: (a) academic success and merit, (b) individualism (and counter-narratives of Black women scholars’ responsibility to each other), and (c) the meaning of being a Black, woman, interpersonal scholar.