Why Wakanda Matters

In 2018, the Marvel Cinematic Universe finally delivered on something fans had long been waiting for: a feature film with a solo Black superhero. Black Panther introduced viewers to the stunning world of Wakanda, a fictional African country with incredible technological advancements, and to T’Challa, a young man stepping into his role as king and taking up the mantle of the Black Panther title from his late father.

The unforgettable story, coupled with the film’s mega-success, has undoubtedly shaped the future of superhero cinema, in addition to genuinely changing viewers’ lives. Why Wakanda Matters gives this iconic film the in-depth analysis it deserves under the lens of the latest psychological concepts – as well as delving into the lasting cultural impact of this unforgettable story.

Edited by Sheena C. Howard, an award-winning author, filmmaker, and scholar, Why Wakanda Matters features a collection of essays from leading experts in a variety of fields who offer insightful perspectives on topics such as cognitive dissonance, intergenerational trauma and resistance, social identity, collective identity, and cultural and racial identity. Fans of the movie and those interested in deeper discussions about the film will revel in this thought-provoking examination of all aspects of Black Panther and the power of psychology.

Phillip Boutté Jr. (foreword); copyright 2021 by Sheena C. Howard (introduction and afterword); copyright 2021 by Felicia Stewart (“Cross My Heart and Hope to Die in Wakanda: Expressions of Solidarity in Black Panther”); copyright 2021 by Claudia Bucciferro (“The Symbolic, the Real, and the Ladies of Wakanda”); copyright 2021 by Olísa Yaa Tolókun and Aynda Mariama Kanyama-Jackson (“Wakanda, Pan Afrikanism, and the Afrikan Worldview: A Representation of the New Afrikana Nation”); copyright 2021 by Dominique Thomas (“Killmonger and the Wretched of the Earth”); copyright 2021 by Mikhail Lyubansky and Erynn Nicholson (“The Black Panther Is Black”); copyright 2021 by Mercedes Samudio (“The Oreo, the King, and the Wakandan Salute: What Black Panther Shows Us About Why Representation Matters”); copyright 2021 by Chateé Omísadé Richardson and L. Nzingha Samuel (“Ritual in Black Panther: The Decolonization of African Narratives and Implications for the Reclamation of African Spiritual Identification and Practice”); copyright 2021 by Chateé Omísadé Richardson (“Erik Killmonger and the Psychology of Inner-City Trauma”); copyright 2021 by Charles Athanasopoulos (“Black Radical Thought as Pathology in Black Panther”); copyright 2021 by Mishelle Rodriguez (“Vibranium Healing”); copyright 2021 by Olísa Yaa Tolókun (“N’Jadaka and Intergenerational Trauma: A Case Study of Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome”); copyright 2021 by Evan Jones (“Representation, Identification, and Pride: Teaching with (and Through) Black Panther”); copyright 2021 by Tehia Starker Glass, Joseph W. Allen, and GiShawn A. Mance (“Identification and Decentering Whiteness in Black Panther”); copyright 2021 by Sheena C. Howard (“Cognitive Dissonance and T’Challa’s Evolution”)