The focus in Afrofuturist scholarship has always been on the ways in which the black experience, particularly the forcible dislocation of the Middle Passage, has been akin to sensations of...Show moreThe focus in Afrofuturist scholarship has always been on the ways in which the black experience, particularly the forcible dislocation of the Middle Passage, has been akin to sensations of alienation and “Othering” explored in science fiction and speculative fiction. While a range of technologies have been analyzed in the context of Afrofuturism, from sonic, to digital, to even aerospace technologies, I argue in this thesis that there is a gap in scholarship on the medical technologies that undergird the alienation experienced by African Americans. To fill this gap, my research focuses on two works of fiction, Ralph Ellison’s classic novel Invisible Man (1952) and Jordan Peele’s recent movie Get Out (2017), that deal with the oppressive power of medicine. I argue that in both narratives medical experiments are used to take control over black bodies and minds, and I position this political violence into a history of medical experimentation and abuse on African Americans as well as Afrofuturism. As much as the medical mistreatment that the protagonists in these texts suffer seems exclusive to the world of science fiction, it has been, and might continue to be, part of the real experience of black Americans.Show less
This paper offers an in-depth study into slaves using poison as a form of resistance in antebellum Virginia. Although much attention has been given to sensational and bloody slave resistance such...Show moreThis paper offers an in-depth study into slaves using poison as a form of resistance in antebellum Virginia. Although much attention has been given to sensational and bloody slave resistance such as Nat Turner’s Rebellion and more recent scholarship has focused on “everyday resistance,” this paper attempts to bridge the gap between the two as poisoning is simultaneously violent yet hidden. While previous scholars have given some study to eighteenth-century poisoning, the nineteenth century is perhaps of more interest as advances in forensics and the rise of paternalism created an environment vastly different from, and in many ways more conducive to, poisoning than that found in the previous century. To try to gain a more complete understanding of poison practices this paper presents cases that involve slaves of different genders, occupations, and ages. Contrary to some historians, this paper presents poisoning in the context of its practicality and is critical of the view of poison being spiritually tied to Africa; as such, this paper explores the many varieties of poisons slaves utilized. Using newspaper articles and other primary sources, this paper dissects the poisoning practices of slaves as well as the white reactions to it.Show less
