About the book
For decades, historians have primarily analyzed charges of black-on-white rape in the South through accounts of lynching or manifestly unfair trial proceedings, suggesting that white southerners invariably responded with extralegal violence and sham trials when white women accused black men of assault. Lisa Lindquist Dorr challenges this view with a careful study of legal records, newspapers, and clemency files from early-twentieth-century Virginia. White Virginians' inflammatory rhetoric, she argues, did not necessarily predict black men’s ultimate punishment.
While trials were often grand public spectacles at which white men acted to protect white women and to police interracial relationships, Dorr points to cracks in white solidarity across class and gender lines. At the same time, trials and pardon proceedings presented African Americans with opportunities to challenge white racial power. Taken together, these cases uncover a world in which the mandates of segregation did not always hold sway, in which whites and blacks interacted in the most intimate of ways, and in which white women and white men saw their interests in conflict.
In Dorr’s account, cases of black-on-white rape illuminate the paradoxes at the heart of segregated southern society: the tension between civilization and savagery, the desire for orderly and predictable racial boundaries despite conflicts among whites and relationships across racial boundaries, and the dignity of African Americans in a system dependent on their supposed inferiority. The rhetoric of protecting white women spoke of white supremacy and patriarchy, but its practice revealed the limits of both.
Editions of White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960
- Hardcover
- ISBN 9780807828410
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780807855140
- EBook
- ISBN 9780807863442
- PDF
- ISBN 9798890876614
Read an Excerpt
For decades, historians have primarily analyzed charges of black-on-white rape in the South through accounts of lynching or manifestly unfair trial proceedings, suggesting that white southerners invariably responded with extralegal violence and sham trials when white women accused black men of assault. Lisa Lindquist Dorr challenges this view with a careful study of legal records, newspapers, and clemency files from early-twentieth-century Virginia. White Virginians' inflammatory rhetoric, she argues, did not necessarily predict black men’s ultimate punishment.
While trials were often grand public spectacles at which white men acted to protect white women and to police interracial relationships, Dorr points to cracks in white solidarity across class and gender lines. At the same time, trials and pardon proceedings presented African Americans with opportunities to challenge white racial power. Taken together, these cases uncover a world in which the mandates of segregation did not always hold sway, in which whites and blacks interacted in the most intimate of ways, and in which white women and white men saw their interests in conflict.
In Dorr’s account, cases of black-on-white rape illuminate the paradoxes at the heart of segregated southern society: the tension between civilization and savagery, the desire for orderly and predictable racial boundaries despite conflicts among whites and relationships across racial boundaries, and the dignity of African Americans in a system dependent on their supposed inferiority. The rhetoric of protecting white women spoke of white supremacy and patriarchy, but its practice revealed the limits of both.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960 about?
For decades, historians have primarily analyzed charges of black-on-white rape in the South through accounts of lynching or manifestly unfair trial proceedings, suggesting that white southerners invariably responded with extralegal violence and sham trials when white women accused black men of assault. Lisa Lindquist Dorr challenges this view with a careful study of legal records, newspapers, and clemency files from early-twentieth-century Virginia. White Virginians' inflammatory rhetoric, she argues, did not necessarily predict black men’s ultimate punishment.
While trials were often grand public spectacles at which white men acted to protect white women and to police interracial relationships, Dorr points to cracks in white solidarity across class and gender lines. At the same time, trials and pardon proceedings presented African Americans with opportunities to challenge white racial power. Taken together, these cases uncover a world in which the mandates of segregation did not always hold sway, in which whites and blacks interacted in the most intimate of ways, and in which white women and white men saw their interests in conflict.
In Dorr’s account, cases of black-on-white rape illuminate the paradoxes at the heart of segregated southern society: the tension between civilization and savagery, the desire for orderly and predictable racial boundaries despite conflicts among whites and relationships across racial boundaries, and the dignity of African Americans in a system dependent on their supposed inferiority. The rhetoric of protecting white women spoke of white supremacy and patriarchy, but its practice revealed the limits of both.
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960?
Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Gender studies, gender groups > Gender studies: women and girls
Where can I read a sample of White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807828410
How long is White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960 and how many pages does it have?
White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960 has 352 page(s)
Who is/are the Author/s of the book White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960?
Lisa Lindquist Dorr
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960 is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807828410) and paperback(ISBN 9780807855140) and ebook(ISBN 9780807863442) and pdf(ISBN 9798890876614)
Where can I buy White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960 online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960 from below
Where can I buy White Women, Rape, and the Power of Race in Virginia, 1900-1960?