Because classical interpretations of Southern antebellum literature focus almost solely on slavery as an economic system, they neglect the fact that these novels are preoccupied with legitimizing...Show moreBecause classical interpretations of Southern antebellum literature focus almost solely on slavery as an economic system, they neglect the fact that these novels are preoccupied with legitimizing the entirety of white superiority. It is more accurate to regard the literary proslavery movement as part of a broader defense of political, economic, and cultural white domination, defending them against external, as well as internal threats to white supremacy.Show less
The anti-imperialists in the United States, unified in the Anti-Imperialist League (AIL) used race among various other arguments to oppose the annexation of the Philippines after the Spanish...Show moreThe anti-imperialists in the United States, unified in the Anti-Imperialist League (AIL) used race among various other arguments to oppose the annexation of the Philippines after the Spanish-American War (1898). The primary argument of the AIL was that the annexation devalued the American founding principles, although other arguments, such as race, were raised as well. Earlier works have examined the relation between race and (anti-) imperialism in the context of American imperialism at the end of the nineteenth century, albeit in a broader context. This thesis aims to determine in what ways race was fundamental to the AIL’s views of the annexation of the Philippines. To determine how fundamental race was to these views, this thesis analyses documents and speeches of six AIL members, belonging to three different movements within the AIL: the rights activists, the Social Darwinists, and the white supremacists. These documents show that the perception of race plays a role in structuring the argument of race, yet it also structures other political, administrative, and labor-related arguments. These results show that the perception of race was fundamental in the shaping of several arguments against annexation.Show less
This thesis analyzes the making of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a popular cultural celebrity in and through three cultural texts: the biopic 'On the Basis of Sex', the documentary 'RBG', and the...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the making of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a popular cultural celebrity in and through three cultural texts: the biopic 'On the Basis of Sex', the documentary 'RBG', and the book 'My Own Words'. The central concern is to explore how each primary source navigates the paradox of the impassioned celebrity figure, where there is a specific focus on the personal, and the dispassionate Supreme Court Justice, whose role is to be impersonal and ‘blind’. I argue that it is the careful construction of Ginsburg’s public persona by herself, and others engaged in representing her, that navigates this issue. Subsequently, I conclude that this negotiation is not to increase Ginsburg’s ego or material gain, but functions as a means to promote and strengthen the institution of the Supreme Court of the United States.Show less
In the United States, the abortion rate of black women is almost five times higher than for white women. The black pro-life movement preaches against abortion by claiming it is a tool for black...Show moreIn the United States, the abortion rate of black women is almost five times higher than for white women. The black pro-life movement preaches against abortion by claiming it is a tool for black genocide, committed by the largest abortion provider Planned Parenthood. They argue that abortions are marketed towards minority communities as part of population control policies. By linking abortion to racism, black pro-life organizations have combined racial justice activism with pro-life activism. This study focuses on two major black pro-life organizations: LEARN, founded by Reverend Clenard Childress, and The Radiance Foundation, founded by Ryan Scott Bomberger. By analyzing their online content on websites, social media and other online appearances, this thesis sets forth an analysis of the organizations’ positioning towards other racial justice activism movements such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter Movement. The black pro-life organizations position themselves significantly more positively towards the Civil Rights Movement than the Black Lives Matter Movement. Due to overlapping religious ideology, the black pro-life organizations align their own racial justice activism with the Civil Rights Movement and frame themselves as the true civil rights successors. The Black Lives Matter Movement is not faith-based, more radically pro-abortion, and adheres to fundamentally different principles than the conservative pro-life organizations, resulting in the black pro-life movement rejecting the Black Lives Matter racial justice activism as hypocritical and contradictory to the civil rights legacy.Show less
In the decades prior to the Civil War, several abolitionist initiatives in Canada West led to the founding of independent black agricultural communities. These initiatives generally functioned by...Show moreIn the decades prior to the Civil War, several abolitionist initiatives in Canada West led to the founding of independent black agricultural communities. These initiatives generally functioned by setting up a financial fund to buy plots of land from the Canadian government, reselling those to black settlers, many of them fugitives from slavery. This thesis looks at how the three fugitive communities active during the 1850s — the Dawn Settlement, the Elgin Settlement, and the Refugee Home Society’s Settlement — were of importance to the American abolitionist movement, looking at their function in American abolitionist literature. How were the Canadian fugitive communities portrayed in American abolitionist literature and in what ways did they contribute to the goals of the American abolitionist movement in the 1850s? It concludes that fugitives were key to the contribution these communities made to the abolitionist movement, nuancing former depictions of the communities as initiatives mostly informed by American middle class ideals of self-improvement, and shows the importance of taking a transnational perspective in approaching the communities.Show less
