Term of Award
Fall 2025
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Committee Chair
Peggy Shannon-Baker
Committee Member 1
Ming Fang He
Committee Member 2
Sabrina Ross
Committee Member 3
Muli Amaye
Abstract
This study examines how colonial histories shape mental health stigma and influence the experiences of people of Caribbean descent. Guided by Caribbean feminism (Haynes, 2017; Mohammed, 2008; Reddock, 1985/1995) as a framework of resistance. I employ Fiction-Based Research (FBR) (Barone & Eisner, 2012; Ketelle, 2004; Leavy, 2013/2018) and Caribbean Feminist Storywork (CFS), a methodology I developed by weaving Indigenous Storywork (ISW) (J. Archibald, 2008; Kovach, 2021; S. Wilson, 2008), Caribbean storytelling (Clarke & Mullings, 2022; Vété-Congolo, 2007), and my framework of Caribbean feminism. Using one of the folklores from Trinidad and Tobago, the Soucouyant, I reimaged the figure as a guide to narrate the effects of untreated mental health disorders for a young girl growing up in the islands to adulthood. The study highlights how storytelling can serve as both a method of inquiry and a strategy for resisting silence, destigmatizing mental health, and providing culturally grounded pathways to healing. Seven significant elements (de essence) emerged from my inquiry: (1) our Caribbean society carries the weight and imprint of colonial history; (2) she carries resistance in her blood; (3) storytelling as survival and strategy; (4) methodologies grounded in Caribbean realities; (5) reclaiming and reimagining knowledge; (6) culture is our foundation, the ground on which we Stand; and (7) healing as a collective journey.
Recommended Citation
Kioko, A. E. (2025). Whispers of the Soucouyant: A Caribbean Feminist Storywork approach to mental health.Statesboro: Georgia Southern University.
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
