Why Wakanda Matters: What Black Panther Reveals About Psychology, Identity, and Communication

INTRODUCTION

Black Panther released in theaters throughout the United States on February 16, 2018. The film ended up making $1.3 billion worldwide, ensuring its legacy as one of Marvel’s biggest success stories. Its $700 million domestic gross was bigger than that of Avengers: Infinity War , which made $678 million domestically (IMDB, 2019).

Black Panther has undoubtedly shaped Marvel’s cinematic direction for years to come. This is significant considering how long it took the company to produce a film featuring a solo Black superhero. Marvel had already made seventeen superhero movies, but never a solo superhero movie with a Black star or a predominantly Black cast. This hesitancy and the ultimate mega-success of Black Panther are fodder for the psychological themes that shape every element of the film’s production, including themes around racial identity, the psychology of cultural identity, historical trauma, and traumatic attachments. These ideas are both explicit and implicit in the film, as the story line makes multiple connections to American history, imperialism, nationalism, and race relations.

As a result, viewers, particularly African American audiences, had a profound cultural connection to the film and an enormous emotional response. The psychological connection between the film and audiences, as well as what the film can teach us about psychological concepts that are important to our everyday lives, is not only fascinating, but worthy of special attention.

Linking Black Panther to the psychology of the real world has been done across national articles, blog posts, podcasts, and panels since the film’s 2018 release. For example, in making the argument that Black Panther counters many of the harmful notions around Black identity, Dr. Amber A. Hewitt connects the psychology of cultural identity and mental health to an analysis of the film. Writing for Psychology Today, Dr. Hewitt (2018) notes, Cultural pride, a core component of racial-ethnic socialization, is protective against a host of mental health and academic outcomes. Racial-ethnic socialization is comprised of several components: (1) instilling cultural pride, (2) preparation for bias, (3) promotion of mistrust, and (4) egalitarianism. Dr. Hewitt argues that Black Panther counters many popular depictions of what it means to be Black and African, instilling cultural pride, which often results in less psychological distress for Black children over time. In other words, repeated exposure to films such as Black Panther results in positive racial-ethnic socialization for Black children.

The Therapy for Black Girls podcast also dedicated an entire episode to the psychology behind Black Panther. The podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, focusing on all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible version of ourselves (Therapy for Black Girls, 2019). The Black Panther episode touched on the psychology of character bonding, parasocial relationships with fictional characters, and attachment theory based on the Black communities’ intense connections to various aspects of the film, including audience responses.

In short, people have been talking about the psychology behind the film. However, these instances are disjointed and tenuous as there has been limited space to allow psychologists, practitioners, clinicians, and media analysts the opportunity to more vigorously expound upon this area of interest. That is the uniqueness and strength of this anthology. The essays herein are written by mental health and communication professionals as well as experts in the fields of identity and psychology.

The book that you hold in your hands provides the depth of analysis this iconic film deserves by applying psychological concepts to the film and delving into the psychology behind the success of the film, as it relates specifically to Black viewers. For some essayists, the depictions in Black Panther are idyllic and utopian. For others, the depictions are problematic and harmful. Regardless, there is consensus that the film is a cultural icon that has the potential to teach us something important about psychology, identity, and communication.

The essays in Why Wakanda Matters: What Black Panther Reveals About Psychology, Identity, and Communication are organized around a set of common themes. Part one focuses on the psychology of collective identity and connectedness, part two focuses on the psychology of racial and cultural identity, part three focuses on the psychology of intergenerational trauma and resistance, and part four focuses on the psychology of cognition and identification.

In part 1, chapter 1, "Cross My Heart and Hope to Die in Wakanda: Expressions of Solidarity in Black Panther" is written by Felicia Stewart (JD, PhD, Professor of Communication Studies, Morehouse College). This essay contends that the success of the movie Black Panther has created a shared fantasy as a means for audience members to engage in acts of psychological connectedness. Dr. Stewart takes an in-depth look at the camaraderie elicited by the film through both verbal and nonverbal expressions of solidarity. For example, memorable verbal phrases from the movie (e.g., Wakanda Forever!) have entered the Black lexicon and have united people in playful solidarity. Emblematic nonverbal gestures—such as crossing the arms over one’s chest as a greeting—have provided moviegoers with additional ways of acknowledging and connecting with like-minded others. By applying Ernest Bormann’s fantasy theme to the verbal and nonverbal expressions, the reader is taken on a journey to look deeper into how embracing these messages has cultivated a sense of solidarity among a diasporic people.

Chapter 2, The Symbolic, the Real, and the Ladies of Wakanda, is written by Claudia Bucciferro (PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Communication, RIT). This essay draws from psychoanalysis and feminist scholarship to discuss why seeing strong, beautiful, and independent women of color on the silver screen—such as the female characters that populate Black Panther—can inform our own self-concept. We develop a notion of who we are by considering the groups that we belong to, including categories such as gender, race, and sexual orientation. Through a process of socialization that begins in early childhood, we learn the ways of our social groups by observing and listening to a variety of sources: from our parents and family members to fictional characters and media texts. As we get older, our engagement with symbolic aspects increases, so we pay more attention to the language and the narratives associated with particular social groups, as well as the images and the visual codes that seem to define them. The process of identity development involves looking at ourselves in the mirror and identifying both our singularity and our conceptual connection to larger social roles—and the cinematic screen is a type of mirror, so a movie functions as a symbolic device that facilitates imaginative play. Considering all this, seeing characters such as Nakia, Shuri, Okoye, and Ramonda—all empowered, intelligent, and assertive women of color—in the Black Panther movie can make a lasting impression on women and girls.

Chapter 3, Wakanda, Pan-Afrikanism, and the Afrikana Worldview: A Representation of the New African Nation, is written by Olísa Yaa Tolókun (MS, LPC, CAP, LAC, Florida A&M University, Community Psychology) and Aynda Mariama Kanyama-Jackson. This essay juxtaposes the Afrikan worldview with the philosophical infrastructure of the culture presented in the film by examining the behavior, values, ethics, language aesthetics, and norms of its characters. According to the authors, it is the worldview framework that provides disciplinary autonomy for Afrikana Studies and all of its constituent components, including Afrikan Psychology. Worldview transcends the superficial boundaries of ethnicity and nationality and explains the oneness and interconnectedness of Afrikan people. From our clarity about the primacy and omnipresence of spirit, harmony with nature, emphasis on communalism, gender balance and complementarity, and respect for elders and reverence for the ancestors, Afrikana culture was holistically woven throughout the film. The Haitian concept of Guinèn, the spiritual essence of Afrikana people, which connects us to the Supreme Being and to one another, was also suggested as a reality in Black Panther. Furthermore, the mythical Wakanda was perceived as less of a legend and more of a representation of the Afrikana experience and a symbol of our collective potential. Particularly for Afrikana people in the United States, Wakanda was perceived as a metaphor for what many have called the New Afrikana Nation.

In part 2, chapter 4, Killmonger and the Wretched of the Earth, is written by Dominique Thomas (University of Michigan). In this essay, Thomas applies Fanonian phenomenological methods to analyze the film. This analysis, based on psychiatrist Frantz Fanon’s works, is informed by experience, concrete examples, evidence, meaning, delineation of essential structure, and a critical and liberating praxis. The chapter also includes interviews with key figures involved in creating the film, the comic book source material, the sociopolitical context, and the movie soundtrack as well as the score. Psychological themes and concepts examined include racial identity, racial socialization, Black history knowledge, and sociopolitical development. The author makes connections between the concepts of Afrofuturism, racial capitalism, Black radical tradition, and double consciousness.

Chapter 5, The Black Panther Is Black, is written by Mikhail Lyubansky (PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) and Erynn Nicholson. This essay examines the racial identities of T’Challa, Erik Killmonger, Ulysses Klaue, and Everett K. Ross against the backdrop of historical racial oppression and current-day racial dynamics. The chapter concludes with some comparisons to prominent real-world figures and a discussion of the implications of these identities, both in the Marvel Universe and our own.

Chapter 6, The Oreo, the King, and the Wakandan Salute, is written by Mercedes Samudio (LCSW). This essay explores what it looks like to assimilate to the dominant culture, and be ridiculed for it, because the genres and entertainment you enjoy don’t have enough representation. In addition, Samudio delves into a discussion on the psychological influence that movies like Black Panther have on Black children.

Chapter 7, "Ritual in Black Panther: The Decolonization of African Narratives and Implications for the Reclamation of African Spiritual Identification and Practice," is written by Chateé Omísadé Richardson (PhD, Educational Psychologist, Education Department at Spelman College) and L. Nzingha Samuel (Educational Strategist, Education Department at Tiffin University). This essay is a fascinating exploration of spirituality and the Black community, through the lens of history and the impact of colonization. Black Panther’s portrayal of a culture virtually untouched by white supremacy presents a timely critique of colonialism and its continued negative impact. Africans worldwide flocked toward and internalized these positive portrayals, many paying to see the film two and three times. In this chapter, you will be challenged to acknowledge that Black Panther represents a potential reconnection to African identity via the positive depiction of traditional culture through ritual practice.

In part 3, chapter 8, Erik Killmonger and the Psychology of Inner-City Trauma, is written by Chateé Omísadé Richardson (PhD, Educational Psychologist, Education Department at Spelman College). This essay examines why Wakanda is seen as the ideal environment by analyzing Killmonger through the lens of the Forces and Consequences Model, originally introduced by Asa G. Hilliard III, highlighting negative experiences that led Killmonger to become the villain of the story. The so-called inner-city environment is presented as the backdrop for his (counter) development, while highlighting the positives that also exist in this space. The inner city is juxtaposed with the opposite, more optimal, environment of Wakanda, while Richardson discusses overlooked challenges.

Chapter 9, "Black Radical Thought as Pathology in Black Panther," is written by Charles Athanasopoulos (Department of Communication Studies, University of Pittsburgh). This essay seeks to reframe the psychological impact of the film Black Panther through the lens of Derrick Bell’s Racial Realism by arguing that the film demonizes Black Radical Thought through the caricature of Erik Killmonger, evidenced by Michael B. Jordan’s confession that he attended therapy after playing Killmonger because his hatred led to social isolation. Drawing on Shannon Sullivan’s argument that cruel optimism increases racial battle fatigue and its negative health effects, the author argues through an oppositional reading of Black Panther that this film (1) reinforces respectability politics rooted in the monarchical traditions of Wakanda, (2) hurts the preparation for bias by inspiring a cruel optimism in the possibility of egalitarianism in an anti-Black world, and 3) promotes mistrust of Black radicality, which should be reframed as generative for Black resistance.

Chapter 10, Vibranium Healing, is written by Mishelle Rodriguez (psychologist). This essay argues that Black Panther provides a contrast between Black people living with the multifaceted and ongoing traumatic impact of colonization and systemic oppression (e.g., intergenerational trauma, racial trauma) and Black people in a society who have been largely protected from this plight. Thus, the film highlights the psychological effects of these types of trauma and related forms of intrapersonal and interpersonal maladaptation and resilience. This chapter posits that the film also echoes themes from current theory (e.g., Radical Healing, Healing Centered Engagement, etc.) regarding what is needed for healing trauma, while additionally providing content that is itself therapeutic. Rodriguez discusses (1) how the film depicts the symptomatology of race-related trauma, and (2) how it points us in the direction of frameworks for treatment that are not just superficial symptom reduction but are instead deeply healing, like the film’s medical use of vibranium.

Chapter 11, N’Jadaka and Intergenerational Trauma: A Case Study of Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, is written by Olísa Yaa Tolókun (MS, LPC, CAP, LAC, Florida A&M University, Community Psychology). This essay delves into what epigenetic researchers have known for centuries—that ancestral trauma is real. This chapter argues that N’Jadaka identifies with the trauma that his ancestors have suffered, and as an oppressed and abandoned Afrikan in America, he experiences and then perpetuates his own injustices as well. Tolókun describes the development of N’Jadaka’s psychological disorder through the analysis of his genogram, a tool for the deconstruction and healing of intergenerational trauma. Tolókun also offers prescriptions for healing for the many people who identify with N’Jadaka because of their own pain, suffering, and unresolved internal conflict.

In part 4, chapter 12, "Representation, Identification, and Pride: Teaching with (and Through) Black Panther," is written by Evan Jones (MA, Communication Management, University of Southern California). This essay explores how matters of representation, identity, and pride inform how moviegoers relate to Black Panther, not only as art but also as a social phenomenon. Jones takes a look at interpretive dissonance, especially with regard to how some viewers hold opinions that may conflict with what they feel to be their expected in-group and out-group positions. This challenges totalizing narratives about the film’s success and uniform depictions of its audience as singular.

Chapter 13, "Identification and Decentering Whiteness in Black Panther," is written by Tehia Starker Glass (Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and Elementary Education), Joseph W. Allen (University of North Carolina at Charlotte), and GiShawn A. Mance (Howard University). This essay asserts that Black Panther gives the Black viewers (with a focus on children) an opportunity to build their sense of efficacy through mastery and vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and emotional and physiological states. In this chapter, the authors address how each source of efficacy building is addressed and supported within the film.

Finally, chapter 14, Cognitive Dissonance and T’Challa’s Evolution, is written by yours truly, Sheena C. Howard (Associate Professor of Communication, Rider University). This essay applies the widely popular psychological framework of cognitive dissonance to examine the influence of psychological discomfort that leads to T’Challa’s evolution from a nationalist to a leader willing to take a more humanitarian, globalist approach.

The intention of this book is to leave you with a sense of the cultural-historical impact of Black Panther through the lens of psychology, communication, and identity. In doing so, I hope to give you, the reader, a better understanding of the application of psychological and communication concepts that might be useful in understanding the influence of your own life experiences on the way you think and act. The theories and concepts chosen for inclusion in this book shed light on how we make meaning, the relevance of shared cultural understanding, and the ways in which communication and connection shape our life journey.

Sheena C. Howard, PhD

Chapter 1

CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO DIE IN WAKANDA

Expressions of Solidarity in Black Panther

Felicia Stewart

"I f You Can See It, You Can Be It; Black Panther ’s Black Woman Magic" (Allen, 2018)

Making Wakanda Great Again (Cooper, 2018)

"I Dream a World: Black Panther and the Re-Making of Blackness" (White, 2018)

O Wakanda, Our Wakanda (New York Times, 2018)

These are just a few articles inspired by Black Panther. The headlines alone speak to a psychological need of those who felt both empowered and comforted by the film. They preview the yearning for a different reality and indicate how Black Panther fans locked onto a distinctive mental space that was both comforting and empowering. This title joins the ones above. What does it mean to Cross My Heart and Hope to Die in Wakanda? Answering that question requires a sojourn that reveals the significance of a film, specifically to the history of Black diasporic people.

For generations, films have been bringing people together. Movie franchises have fan clubs and some even have cult followings. Star Trek has their Trekkies. Harry Potter’s fan base is called Potterheads. Fans of Lord of the Rings are called Ringers. Star Wars fans are, well, Star Wars Fans. And now, Black Panther has its Wakandans. Since 2008, large fan bases have followed the Avengers characters in theaters. To date, the Marvel franchise has produced more than twenty films and boasts box office totals in billions of dollars. Fans have lined up to see films that carry the names of their heroes, such as Iron Man (2008), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Thor (2011), and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). In 2018, Black Panther was added to that list, and fans loved it.

What many of these film franchises have in common is the element of fantasy. Something about the fantastic nature of magic or science fiction envelopes the hearts and minds of moviegoing fans. The fans then find ways to connect with one another through their love for the film, the story, the setting, and the characters. Psychologically speaking, fantasy is necessary. It allows people to fulfill their unconscious desires. Fantasy gives license for people to go where they want to go. Black Panther connected people on a psychological plane that allowed them, albeit for a short while, to live in another space—a space where their Black was beautiful. They began participating in the fantasy, mentally drawn to this world called Wakanda.

The character Black Panther made his first appearance in the 2016 film Captain America: Civil War. The plot, which included T’Challa seeking vengeance for the death of his father, King T’Chaka, and conclusion of the movie, where T’Challa joined forces with the Avengers, both indicated that Black Panther would be seen on-screen again. Prior to Black Panther’s opening, people began to anticipate the positive vibe of a Black cinematic experience. There was something brewing in the air as fans created moviegoing groups, crafted costumes, and talked excitedly of dressing up for movie screenings. Legions of audience members bought tickets ahead of time, longing to see the empowering images that have been absent in cinema.¹ People called their friends and loved ones, asking when they were going and when they were taking their children to see Black Panther. Celebrities bought out entire theaters so little Black children could see the extraordinary cinematic display of power and might.² It was as if there was an unspoken understanding that Black Panther was a must-see for the Black American culture. But it was not only for them. The spoken understanding of the significance of Black Panther created a mass curiosity and appeal leading up to its premiere. Previews and news coverage had saturated the market. There was no mistaking that the release of Black Panther would be a monumental event.

Social media was ripe with discussion and buzz as people waited for the arrival of the film. The feeling of anticipation can be summed up in one artist’s comment when viewing a poster of the movie prior to its release. Upon seeing the character of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) in the center with a supporting cast of other Black characters (Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong’o, Letitia Wright, Michael B. Jordan, Angela Bassett, and Forest Whitaker), the artist ran to the poster and excitedly claimed, This is what white people get to feel like all the time.³ His friends had similar reactions. They all posed for photos and the video of their enthusiasm went viral. There was a feeling of ownership, comfort, significance, belonging, importance, and centeredness. There was no tokenism.

As talk of the movie spread, people waited eagerly to see something at the box office that was both strange and unfamiliar—a Black superhero surrounded by a Black cast in a movie directed by a Black man. Comic book readers might have known what to expect, but others were unaware of the journey that was before them. For what was before them was more than just a trip to the movies. It was indeed a pilgrimage, as they were introduced to a world many have dreamed about but thought impossible. What was before them was life in a space like none other: Wakanda.

Wakanda is a fictitious country situated on the continent of Africa. Wakanda reveals itself as a nation that has been mostly untapped by the colonization and other atrocities that have plagued real African countries. Wakanda is advanced in development, a far cry from the images of underdeveloped African countries so often portrayed in the media. A stark contrast to the real world’s perception of the motherland, Wakanda is a place of pure beauty. It is a place where men and women are warriors—where women are viewed as equal and valued without question. It is a place with cutting-edge technological advancements created solely by Black minds. It is a place that is free from the influence of outsiders, unspoiled by foreigners to the land. Wakanda is a place that Black people may have imagined but have never seen.

In the early moments of the film, T’Challa flies home to Wakanda after a brief but successful mission. It is here where the audience gets their first glimpse of Wakanda—an aerial view as the aircraft descends upon the land. At that moment, the film itself began to take people on a psychological excursion. Moviegoers immediately saw a nation enshrined in beauty that was presented as expected and natural. Africans, who are so often shown as starving, poor, violent, uneducated, or uncivilized (or all of the aforementioned), were anything but. Not only were they civilized, but they were also regal, wealthy, intellectual, and admirable. They were generals, warriors, scientists, caregivers, and counselors. They were Wakandans.

Wakanda is made up of five tribes. Four of the tribes—Merchant, River, Border, and Mining—live in harmony. The fifth tribe, the Jabari, dwells in the mountains, hesitant to give allegiance to a Wakandan king. Though not without flaws or conflicts, Wakanda symbolizes a dreamland for Black audiences who fixated on a desire to be part of its community. It solidified a common mode of thinking and granted permission for Black moviegoers to share that connection with one another and engage in acts of solidarity. Proof of this camaraderie appear in both verbal and nonverbal expressions from Black Panther.

Many audience members began to unite via two distinct emblems that appear throughout the movie: the phrase Wakanda Forever and the nonverbal crossing of the arms over the heart, also known as the Wakandan salute. These expressions are representative of Ernest Bormann’s fantasy theme. Fantasy themes explain a group’s sharing of a unique bond fueled by common emotions or motives. When shared widely, they become rhetorical visions. These visions capture social and cultural realities that make sense to groups, organizations, or media audiences.⁴ The visions of Wakanda make sense to Black moviegoers. The fans begin to communicate with one another in dramatic fashion, revealing their fears, their hopes, and their sense of self-worth. The verbal and nonverbal expressions initiated from Black Panther are indicative of how Wakanda has cultivated a sense of solidarity among a diasporic people. Wakanda is their shared fantasy.

WAKANDA FOREVER

The most lasting memorable verbal statement from Black Panther has entered the Black lexicon and has united people in playful celebration and psychological consensus. The two-word exclamation