Qualitative Psychology, Vol 13(3), Oct 2026, 405-422; doi:10.1037/qup0000324
The purpose of this study was to examine how urban place(s) shape the sociopolitical development of Black college women. The study was guided by a theoretical conversation on sociopolitical development and spatial imaginaries to demonstrate how urban places and identity may engender critical analysis of racialized and gendered physical and social realities. We conducted narrative interviews with 10 Black emerging adult college women who identified as activists. Using a critical thematic analysis of narrative data, we centered participants’ lived experiences and aimed to understand how power was imbued in their navigation of their cities and urban universities. The results of the study highlight how participants critically analyze and navigate spatial manifestations of power in their cities and urban college campuses. We also introduce the concept of critical place-based analysis, which involves understanding how power and identity shape the character of physical and social environments and the navigation of these environments. We conclude by calling for more research that examines the intersection of social identity and place as instrumental in the shaping of sociopolitical development. In particular, we ask that researchers investigating sociopolitical development consider how places shape critical analysis and, in turn, how this place-based critical analysis is shaped by identities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved)