Studying the Sexual Exploitation of Enslaved Women Through a Psychological Lens | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Studying the Sexual Exploitation of Enslaved Women Through a Psychological Lens

Addressing violence in the study of the enslaved

132
Studying the Sexual Exploitation of Enslaved Women Through a Psychological Lens
Internet Archive Book Images
“Black men and women did not experience slavery the same way. With the institution, there were two systems [that were both meaningfully interwoven and drastically different] — one for men and one for women. ”
- Ruthe Lewin Winegarten (Black Texas Women “Ch. 2 Slavery” Next to Last Draft)

In the pre-Civil War South, the only protected party in rape trials was the slave owner. Enslaved, in general, and captive women were not subjects of common law, and were thus unprotected against rape. Slave owners could sue a rapist for trespass on his “property” (the violated slave) but could not be sued if he was the aggressor. 

Fourteen-year-old Celia, suffered from this lack of protection from the moment she was purchased in Audrain County until her death on the gallows at nineteen-years old. Robert Newsom separated her from the other slaves on his plantation and raped her repeatedly following the death of his wife. Celia begged Newsom to stop his visits to her cabin and even pleaded with his daughters to stop him. After none of this proved effective, Celia took her protection into her own hands and struck him twice with a stick. Although it was a crime to take any woman unlawfully against her will and by force and resistance of such an offense would have been considered a justifiable excuse for a woman to kill a man, however, rape was decriminalized for enslaved women due to their inability to claim the social protections surrounding gender.

The enslaved regained their perceived identity, intent and rationality, only in the context of criminal liability – only as a way to prohibit or punish manifestations of identity. The law's selective recognition of slave person in regard to issues of injury and protection failed to acknowledge the matter of sexual violation, specifically rape, and thereby defined the identity of the slave female by the invulnerability to sexual violation, and the negligibility of her injuries.

For the purpose of this article, consent is defined using Marxist feminist theory which states: consent can be seen as the immaterial inheritance of both classes, much in the way labor power is a possession elaborated by the body of the worker but not isomorphic with that body. One’s consent is as “natural” an inheritance as one’s labor is within the Marxist paradigm. And if the definition of rape relies upon the power to provide consent or exercise will, then how does one understand the sexual violation of the enslaved when that which would constitute evidence of intentionality, and thus evidence of the crime – the state of consent or willingness of the assailed – creates questions surrounding what is considered rape when the legal definition of the enslaved negates the very idea of “reasonable resistance”?

The answer lays in the injury of rape not translating for (and not being categorical inheritance of) Black women in the ways that it does White women – creating another form of violence. It should be noted that this form of violence does not usurp Black women’s consent – it is improper to assume their lack of agency in relation to their body – instead, the violence against Black women is not theorized as violation rendering consent useless and silence common.

It is impossible to undo the violence committed against enslaved women. However, current work with archives perpetuate the social invisibility of these women by seizing their life stories and defining them by the violence and maltreatment they endured instead of understanding them as true human beings that possessed psychological characteristics and developed identities.

Sadiya Hartman describes the archive as a death sentence, a tomb, a display of the violated body that reduces these women to an asterisk in the grand narrative of history. Work should instead aim to analyze the ways in which the experiences of abuse/deprivation were gendered in slave societies and the impact it had on the enslaved in order to write a comprehensive history that acknowledges what Christina Sharpe refers to as the "agent buried underneath.”

The intent of this practice is not to give voice to the enslaved, but rather to imagine what cannot be verified, and to create a culture of understanding and gingerly care with the precarious lives which are visible only in the moment of their disappearance. It is a history of an unrecoverable past and written with (and against) the archive.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

A Few Thoughts Every College Freshman Has

The transition into adulthood is never easy

11733
Mays Island
Courtney Jones

Today I started my third week of college at Minnesota State Moorhead. I have survived welcome week, finding my classes on the first day, and being an awkward loner in the dining hall. Even though I have yet to be here for a month, I have already experienced many thoughts and problems that only a new college student can relate to.

Keep Reading...Show less
college

"Make sure to get involved when you're in college!"

We've all heard some variation of this phrase, whether it came from parents, other family members, friends, RAs, or college-related articles. And, like many clichés, it's true for the most part. Getting involved during your college years can help you make friends, build your resume, and feel connected to your campus. However, these commitments can get stressful if you're dealing with personal issues, need to work, or aren't sure how to balance classes and everything else going on during the semester.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

9 Reasons Why Friends Are Essential In College

College without friends is like peanut butter without jelly.

5261
Bridgaline Liberati and friends
Bridgaline Liberati

In college, one of the essential things to have is friends. Yes, textbooks, a laptop, and other school supplies are important but friends are essential. Friends are that support system everybody needs. The more friends you have the better the support system you have. But you also have someone to share experiences with. And don’t settle for just one or two friends because 8 out of 10 times they are busy and you are studying all alone. Or they have other friend groups that do not include you. Don’t settle for just one or two friends; make as many friends as you can. After the first couple of weeks of college, most friend groups are set and you may be without friends.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

The Power of Dressing Up

Why it pays to leave the hoodie at home.

3898
sneakers and heels
Sister | Brother Style - Word Press

For a moment your world is spinning. The phone alarm has just scared you awake and you’re flooded by daunting thoughts of the day ahead. You have three assignments due and little time to work on them because of your job. You’re running late because you’ve hit snooze one to many times after yesterday’s long hours. You dizzily reach for a hoodie, craving its comfort, and rush for a speedy exit, praying you will have time to pick up coffee. Does this sound familiar?

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

11 Signs You Live At The Library As Told by 'Parks And Recreation'

A few signs that you may live in the library whether you'd like to admit it or not.

3437
brown wooden book shelves with books

Finals week is upon us. It is a magical time of year during which college students everywhere flock to the library in attempt to learn a semester's worth of knowledge in only a week. For some students, it's their first time in the library all semester, maybe ever. Others have slaved away many nights under the fluorescent lights, and are slightly annoyed to find their study space being invaded by amateurs. While these newbies wander aimlessly around the first floor, hopelessly trying to find a table, the OGs of the library are already on the third floor long tables deep into their studies. Here is a few signs that you may live in the library, whether you'd like to admit it or not.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments