Black Professional Ethos: Exploring Black Mentorship Through Narrative Ethnography in Technical Communication

ABSTRACT

Black mentorship is key to the professional development of Black scholars in technical and professional communication (TPC) and writing studies. Blending narrative ethnography and grounded theory, this article extends existing investigations into mentorship among Black professionals, by exploring how mentorship and rhetorical kinship among Black TPC and writing professors enrich their professional development. With implications for both academia and industry, this article highlights how Black TPC scholars develop, negotiate, and sustain Black professional ethos.

KEYWORDS:

• Mentorship
• professionalism
• Black technical and professional communication
• writing studies
• narrative ethnography
• grounded theory

Acknowledgements

We would also like to thank York University’s Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Minor Research Grant program for funding this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Participants named in this article have been randomly assigned pseudonyms to preserve anonymity.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the York University’s Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Minor Research Grant program.

Notes on contributors

Christopher J. Morris

Christopher J. Morris is an Assistant Professor of Writing at York University in Toronto, Ontario. His research, informed by critical race and ethnic studies, explores rhetoric and technical communication in economic development. He earned his PhD from The Ohio State University.

Laura L. Allen

Laura L. Allen is an Assistant Professor of Writing at York University in Toronto, Ontario. Her scholarly interests include digital rhetorics and race, family literacy, and community engaged research in Black communities. She teaches courses on professional writing, rhetoric, social justice, and digital media.