Citation

Foster KM. Transform. Anthropol. 2008; 16(1): 3-19.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, American Anthropological Association, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1548-7466.2008.00002.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) have long played an important role in collegiate black student life. The communal impact of the social events they plan and the cultural practices they engage is substantial, but yet to receive substantial scholarly attention. This article addresses the communal impact of “underground pledging,” which is the controversial practice of initiating prospective members through secret and forbidden ritual practices. Pledging facilitates bonds between incoming members, and between incoming members and their organizations, but has also led to hazing, which involves the ritual torment and abuse of prospective members. This article addresses public debates around what constitutes hazing, as well as the commitment among many individual BGLO members to activities that some call pledging, others call hazing, but all acknowledge as against campus policies, state and federal laws, and the policies of the organizations' national headquarters. This article also discusses the implications of pledging as an open secret in black student communities. The discussion covers the silencing dynamics that allow the secret, the contrast between national rhetoric and local practices, and the individual and communal impacts of maintaining the secret.