U of A Communication Department Graduate Wins Top Master's Thesis Award

University of Arkansas

Charlotte Castro

Charlotte Castro, graduate of the Department of Communication in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, has won the National Communication Association's 2021 Top Master's Thesis Award. The thesis, titled, "Ancestral Pursuits: A Multicultural Celebration of Identity & Race," offers the first rhetorical analysis of for-profit DNA company discourses to understand how they market race and colonialism as tourist enterprises and identity markers.

The award honors the top master's thesis in each area of the communication field, with Castro winning the award among rhetorical scholars.

Of the thesis, Castro explained, "In this project, I intentionally critiqued the rhetorical strategies of biotech companies involved in ancestral pursuits to highlight how power, consumption and colonial infrastructures govern the ways that individuals engage in explorations of identity. Maintaining this focus allowed me to analyze one aspect of ancestral pursuits without dismissing the significant meaning-making practices of identity and belonging interwoven with the practices of learning or celebrating one's culture or ancestors."

In her letter of nomination, professor Dr. Lisa Corrigan wrote that Castro's "application of critical race theory, critiques of racial capital and the literature of the rhetoric of science work in tandem to offer a rich and compelling rhetorical account of genealogy and biotech appeals towards ancestral pursuits."

Castro expressed gratitude for the recognition of the thesis saying, "I am grateful to my adviser, Dr. Lisa Corrigan, as well as to my thesis committee for their feedback and guidance. My work builds on existing critiques of modernity and coloniality to offer a new lens through which to frame conversations of racial capitalism. I hope that other critical rhetoricians working towards decoloniality are also recognized for their efforts and advancements."

This occasion marks the first time that a student at the U of A has won the Top Master's Thesis Award in rhetorical studies from the National Communication Association.