Negotiating expert and novice identities through client-stylist interactions -- "We are like doctors" : socializing cosmetologists into the discourse of science -- A license to touch : cosmetology as a divine calling -- Gender, authenticity, and hair in African American stand-up comedy -- "BTW: how do you wear your hair?" : gender and race in computer-mediated hair debates -- Constructing and contesting knowledge in women's cross-cultural hair testimonies -- Critical reflections on language, gender, and "native" anthropology
Summary
Documenting the politics of African American women's hair, this multi-sited linguistic ethnography explores everyday interaction in beauty parlours, Internet discussions, comedy clubs and other contexts to illuminate how and why hair matters in African American women's day-to-day experiences
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 153-172) and index
