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Hidden Figures Book Project Assignment
Dameon Robinson
Liberty University
COMS 624: Intracultural Communication
Dr.
June 23, 2024
Abstract
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shelley (2016) tackles the incredible story of four African
American who worked behind the scope of recognition . The book navigates through the lives of
the women and how each of their respective stories created a combined narrative between them.
Using several intercultural communication theories, specifically, cultural identity theory,
cultivation theory, cultural adaptation theory, and coordinated management of learning theory.
Through the lens of these theories, this paper will provide a detailed analysis of Hidden Figures
(2016), telling the story of four educated African American whose contributions aided the United
States in the ‘space race’ at a time where paramount roles in society were dominated by white
men. This paper will also draw comparisons between American culture at the time of the novel
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with American culture today, while providing a biblical worldview in relation to the cultural
elements of the story.
Keywords: Intercultural communication,
Introduction
Margot Lee Shetterly’s Hidden Figures (2016) tells the story of how Katherine Johnson,
Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and other women became integral ‘hidden’ contributors for
the space race as behind-the-scenes mathematicians. Shetterly navigates the story by capturing
the lens of society during the Civil Rights Era. American culture was dominated particularly by
white men. During World War II, President Roosevelt’s military aircraft industry was the most
successful business in the world. Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory is where new
designs were tested. Due to the demand of men in the workforce and at war, women were filling
in important job roles (p. 5).
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President Roosevelt knew he would have to expand the already scarce workforce. He
signed Executive Order 8802, which allowed for colored men and women to seek employment
related to the war effort. Businesses that contributed to the war defense were prohibited from
discriminating against job roles due to race. This series of events led to Katherine, Dorothy
Mary, and many other women becoming staple yet hidden figures in the space race. These
women not only challenged white men as peers in a highly skilled workforce, but challenged
cultural norms and society as well. Each theory utilized connects the cultural elements of the
women to the overall scope of intercultural communication.
Cultural Identity
Cultural identity is defined as “the emotional significance that we attach to our sense of
belonging or affiliation with the larger culture” (Samovar, 2017, p. 244). This theory provides a
lens to how these womens’ identities as educated African-American women created an
atmosphere that was not always accepting. Katherine Johson, Dorothy Vuaghan, and Mary
Jackson knew how important it was for them to prove that they belonged. With a large number of
the women working at Langley, located in Virginia, migrating to the area, the scarce area was
very segregated.
The constant segregation in the workplace created significant challenges. Not only being
women, but women of color at the time placed them under a microscope. Part of establishing
identity is having the ability to comfortably be yourself in cross-cultural environments (Vikulova
et al.. 2021). Katherine, Dorothy, and Mary were thrust into an unfamiliar environment and were
able to embrace it. Dorothy was most culturally challenged, being the first of the three main
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characters to work at Langley. Her identity as an educated black woman made her rise to being a
lead at Langley an uphill battle. However, by continuously challenging social norms, exceeding
expectations, she remained an integral part of the success of the engineers at Langley, while
steadily building relationships with her peers (Sheffley, 2016). Dorothy would eventually
become the first black woman to lead West Computing, the area of Langley where she had
always worked (p. 84). By examining the women and their journey through Langley, particularly
Dorothy through the lens of cultural identity theory, context can be added to explain how African
American women were able to play such a big role in the Aerodynamic industry. Mary and
Katherine would also display a high level of intelligence and bravery. Mary was not afraid to put
her calculations up against any of the white men she worked with, and Katherine quickly earned
respect as well.
Cultivation Theory
Cultivation theory “asserts that media, particularly mass media, are an influential
“socializing agent” in shaping future perceptions” (Samovar, 2017, p. 53). As it pertains to
Hidden Figures, Sheffley (2016) painted a beautiful picture for current audiences to perceive. By
highlighting the hardships and brilliance of the women at Langley, Sheffley captures the
womens’ roles in a society that they did not fit in yet. Their roles as contributing mathematicians
challenged society’s norms in the 1950s and 1960s. Challenging norms is a large contributor to
establishing culture and individual growth (Rijsdijk, 2023). The mass hiring of women for the
war effort extended beyond World War II at Langley, and at the time, African-American women
were proving to be stabilizing agents of perseverance.
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Compared to today, women’s contributions to society were not nearly was not nearly as
appreciated. In the 1960s. The media portrayed African-Americans as vermin and not major
contributors to society. Even with Katherine and Mary making their contributions felt at Langley
in early 1950, there was little to no notoriety outside of their respective engineering teams
(Sheffley, 2016). Cultivation theory is all about perception. The perception of the brilliant
women scientists in Hidden Figures thoroughly addresses stereotypes. Sheffley highlights the
racism from the United States as a whole, and how that portrayal of the country contradicted
with its desire to become a staple world democracy (p. 105). By using cultivation theory to
understand the media’s portrayal of African-American women in this time period, readers are
able to be educated by this book.
Cultural Adaptation Theory
Cultural adaptation, or cross-cultural adaptation theory, suggests “t when someone enters
a new cultural environment, his or her initial reaction will be some level of stress as he or she
learns how to become functional” (Samovar, 2027, p. 284), In Hidden Figures, only Mary was
from Hampton, Virginia where Langley was located. Dorothy being the first of the main
characters to arrive, migrated like many other people (Sheffley, 2016). She was faced with being
in an environment where she was culturally outnumbered. Though black Americans were
segregated in the United States at the time, many grew up in the same neighborhoods, enabling
them to lean on their culture to stay strong (Jacques, 2021). Black Americans hopelessly awaited
the “Double V,” the assumption that they would gain more equality with the effort in aiding in
the war (Sheffley, 2016).
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Culture shock is a major factor in cultural adaptation theory (Samovar, 2017). Katherine,
Dorothy, and even Mary were forced to adapt to the culture shock of working in a highly
efficient workplace plagued with systemic racism. These women were all able to lean on their
culture and intelligence to challenge dominant culture in the workplace. Katherine was able to
power through segregated facilities and a rough, racially biased beginning at Langley and
thereafter (Sheffley, 2016), Dorothy always struggled to maintain firm leadership with her team,
facing many challenges in her fifteen years leading West Computing. Mary pushed through the
constant obstacles and eventually paved the way for many engineers. The culture shock of being
thrust into such a segregated environment made these women take their craft very seriously.
Over the years, these women made many strides and advancements at Langley and eventually
NASA. By looking at Hidden Figures through the lens of this theory, it lends credence to how
the colored women of Langley were able to come together and combat adaptive issues.
Identity Management Theory
The final theory that navigates the reader through Hidden Figures is identity management
theory. Developed by Erving Goffman, this theory suggests that individuals behave in a certain
manner in an effort to fit in with social constructs and the expectations around them. In the case
of Hidden Figures, Dorothy, Katherine, and Mary had to balance between being one of the most
important figures in the aerodynamic industry with being colored women in a white-male
dominated workplace (Sheffley. 2016), These women were forced to maintain a sense of
professionalism and decorum in tumultuous environment. An example of this theory applying to
the story is Mary being able to use part of her identity as a mother and caregiver and applying it
to the workplace through making advancements and helping others achieve success as well. By
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aiming to meet societal expectations in the environment, she added to the overall culture of the
workplace.
Identity management also suggests that people behave in a manner that contributes to
their goals (Greco & Kraimer, 2020). Dorothy, Katherine, Mary, and the other women pioneers
of aerodynamic mathematics endured racism and stereotyping to advance and make a name for
themselves. Little did they know their contributions would lead to inspiring many to look at
women, more specifically African-American women, as staples in society (Hunter, 2021). By
staying true to their identities and hardwork, the women at Langley and NASA created a
collective empowering culture that their counterparts eventually had to respect. In an
environment where Sheffley (2016) states she believes the United States would put a man on the
moon before integrating classrooms (p, 185), these three pioneers and many others played their
roles and were successful in doing so.
Christian Worldview
Hidden Figures (2016) offers a bevy of themes that exude Christian worldview. One of
the themes expressed throughout is fairness and justice. The Lord throughout the Holy Bible
often had many verses in different books that reminded readers to treat others fairly. Leviticus
19:15 states: “Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great,
but judge your neighbor fairly.” (New International bible, 2011). Though the United States
operated differently back then, what the women in the workforce had to endure was
disheartening and made these women that much stronger. The Lord considers displaying
favoritism a sin, and dealing with it from an entire nation helped shape them into brilliant
mathematicians and professionals.
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Another theme expressed throughout is challenging norms and culture. Tasked with
performing under a racial microscope, Dorothy, Katherine, and Mary were not afraid to put their
intellectual value up against any of their white counterparts. Galatians 3:38 sums how God views
his people very well. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no
male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (New International bible, 2011). This quote
is indicative of the notion that everyone is created in God's image. It is saddening that
civilizations have been subject to discriminating against each other for centuries. Women like the
brave and courageous Hidden Figures crew walked in God’s image and are forever enshrined in
history as pioneers for equality.
Conclusion
By viewing Shetterly’s Hidden Figures through the lens of intercultural communication
theory, one can grasp the narrative these women created for themselves. Culture is rooted in
challenging norms, and they accomplished this the second they walked into the doors at Langley.
The four theories analyzed contributed to understanding the cultural dynamics of the film. The
utilization of Cultural Adaptation Theory, Cultivation Theory, Coordinated Management of
Meaning, and Identity Management Theory provided a framework that captures the essence of
the story in a different way.
References
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Greco, L. M., & Kraimer, M. L. (2020). Goal-setting in the career management process: An
identity theory perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(1), 40-57.
https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000424
Hunter, N. D. (2021, Winter). Scholarship @ georgetown law. Georgetown Law.
https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/2390/
Imran, M., Chen, Y., Wei, X.M., & Akhtar, S. (2019). A Critical Study of Coordinated
Management of Meaning Theory: A Theory in Practitioners’ Hands. International Journal of
English Linguistics.
Jacques, G. (2021, February 17). A New Civil Rights Movement, a new journal - Jstor Daily.
JSTOR. https://daily.jstor.org/a-new-civil-rights-movement-a-new-journal/
New International Bible. (2011). The NIV Bible.
Rijsdijk, R. (2023, June 26). Challenging the norms: Embracing individuality for personal and
societal growth. Medium. https://rebeccarijsdijk.medium.com/challenging-the-norms-embracing-
individuality-for-personal-and-societal-growth-d846754eddcb
Samovar, L., Porter, R., McDaniel, E., & Roy, C. (2017), Communication between cultures.
Cengage Learning
Vikulova, L., Gerasimova, S., Serebrennikova, E., & Nersesova, E. (2021). Strategies for
shaping Student’s national and cultural identity in teaching “Cross-cultural theory introduction”.
ARPHA Proceedings, 4, 1065-1081. https://doi.org/10.3897/ap.e4.e106
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