The Problem Defined

Abstract

The Male Academy was a proposed solution to a specific social problem. Examining how the problem was defined through the dominant voices in the discourse reveals the powerful foundation for the collective action frame. A collective action frame includes the concepts of punctuation, attribution, and articulation. This chapter focuses on the element of punctuation and the definition of the social problem. The overall problem in the collective action frame was one involving the interaction among three entities: (1) a socially constructed group—the inner-city Black male, (2) a social structure—the education system, and (3) a political process—the legal adjudication of rights through a court proceeding. These are separate yet interlocking concepts, and it is the interlocking quality that creates the complex social problem. Deconstructing the discourse enables a succinct understanding of each concept and how the concepts intersect. Understanding the intersection is critical because it is at the point of intersection that additional themes of hegemony, patriarchy, and Black manhood emerge. By using TASJ and the academic disciplines of sociology, law, political science, and history we can understand how the social problem was defined in Detroit, ultimately influencing the outcome.