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Monique Skinner, Ph.D. is a 2026 graduate of the PhD Program in Leadership and Change at Antioch University.

monique skinner committee

Monique Skinner at her Dissertation Defense.

From L-R: Dr. Woden Teachout, Committee Chair, Dr. Michael Simanga, Committee Member, Dr. Diane Richard-Allerdyce, Committee Member.

Dissertation Committee

  • Woden Teachout, PhD, Committee Chair
  • Diane Richard-Allerdyce, PhD, Committee Member
  • Michael Simanga, PhD, Committee Member

Keywords

Black girl magic, literary healers, healer archetypes, Octavia Butler studies

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

This study explores the concept of healing as Black Girl Magic in the five novels that make up Octavia E. Butler’s Patternist series. Through textual analysis backed in Afrofuturist theory the study answers the questions: How does Butler depict Black women as healers in the Patternist series? and What is her vision of Black women in the Afrofuture? On a deeper level, the study uses character analysis to examine the literary trope of the Black woman healer and how her magical power translates as literal Black Girl Magic. Through a journey of speculative literary discovery, we uncover the archetypes of healing that Butler depicted through each of the magical Black women characters. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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monique skinner

Monique Skinner

ORCID No.:  #0009-0000-2945-7715

Monique Skinner is an emerging scholar whose research interests focus on the intersection of Afrofuturism, Black women healers, and Octavia E. Butler studies. She is a higher education professional and an advocate for reading and literacy as activism. Monique earned her B.A. in English Literature from D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY, M.A. in Communications from New York Tech, and Ph.D. from Antioch’s School of Interdisciplinary and Professional Studies. With a concentration in Humanities & Culture, her dissertation explores the concept of healing as Black Girl Magic in Butler’s Patternist series. This work is a journey in speculative fiction that highlights the significance of literary analysis.

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