الفهرس 
Chapter One:Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to investigate the impact of Alice Walker’s concept of Womanism on Alice Childress theatre and her depiction of the Black life and the effective role of the Black woman in vindicating her race, via offering a critical reading to her dramas under the Womanist theoretical frame work. Chapter one offers a detailed analysis of Walker’s own definition of the concept Womanism, throwing light on Walker’s chronology of the evolution of the black woman in the American society. It also focuses on the major differences between Womanism and Black feminism, and the attempt of Alice Walker to expand the concept of Womanism to be an inclusive political ideology for all the oppressed and marginalized people worldwide. The first chapter proceeds to explore the literary features of the Womanist writings and the role of the womanist theatre in representing the Black woman struggle, linking Womanism to the writings of Alice Childress by discussing Childress’ view of the political and humanistic function of the black theatre through her own published essays between 1951 and 1966.
Chapter two offers a critical analysis of Childress’ Florence (1949) as Childress’ first professionally produced play that documents the struggle of Black women against racism in a very early period, exploring the features of the womanist writings in this play, focusing on one of the most significant feature of the womanist writings; namely, the metamorphosis that leads to a female victory. This feature manifests through the gradual awareness of the protagonist that led to a crucial decision at the end.
Chapter three deals with Childress’ Trouble in Mind(1955), exploring the theme of rejecting stereotypes, and of not compromising one’s integrity, focusing on the protagonist’s assertion of the black women’s pride and dignity as a significant feature of the womanist writings.Chapter four deals with Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White(1966), which is regarded as Alice Childress’s masterpiece. This chapter focuses on exploring the black woman’s struggle against the anti-miscegenation law, scrutinizing the effect of this law that constrains the collective quest for freedom and dignity on the lives of both black and white characters. It also sheds the light on the features of the womanist writings in this play being one of the plays that meet all the requirements of the type of literature that the Womanist theatre struggles to make it accessible.
Chapter Five deals with Childress’ Wine in the Wilderness (1974), exploring the social and political division within the black society, and the struggle of the poor black women against both racism and classism. This chapter also focuses on Childress’ efforts in this play to develop a motivational theatre with the aim of shaping the black- female identity, and igniting a political awakening among Black women in general, and the black women of the working-class in particular as explicit features of Womanism.
Finally, the conclusion sums up the findings of the study that reveal how the Womanist thought is a driving force behind the writings of the majority of the Afro- American female writers from the very beginning of their literary production in general, and the writings of Alice Childress in particular.
Key Words:Womanism - Woman Empowerment
Alice Walker - Alice Childress -Womanist Theatre - Alice Walker’s Womanism -Black Feminism - Womanist Identity- Womanist Model.