Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in Nineteenth-Century America

292 Pages·1997·8.19 MB·English

by  Saidiya V. Hartman

Scenes of Subjection
Scenes of
Subjection
TERROR, SL.AVERY, AND SELF-MAKING
IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICA
Saidiya V. Hartman
NewYork Oxford
OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
1997
'dUniversity Press
NewYork
Auckland Bangkok Bogota Bombay BuenosAires
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ledbyOxfordUniversityPress,Inc.
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:htsreserved. Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,
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sofsubjection:terror,slavery.andself-makingin
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0-19-508983-9(cloth)
0-1-9-508984-7(pbk.)
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0496073-dc2I 97~5808
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Acknowledgments
T
hisbookowesagreatdealtosomany.TheCharlotteNewcombeFoun
dation, the Rockefeller Foundation,and the University of CaliforniaHumanities
Research Institute provided financial supportand time off, which helped in the
developmentandcompletionofthisproject. ThelateGeorgeBassprovidedsupport
.and enthusiasm duringtheearlystagesoftheproject,seeingpromisewhenthings
were still quite vaguely defined. I would like to thank the members of the
FeminismandDiscourseofPowergroupforrigorouscriticismand lively debate:
WendyBrown, JudithButler,NancyCampbell,ReyChow,NancyFraser,Angela
Harris,JennySharpe,JacquelineSiapno,andIreneWei.Iwouldespeciallyliketo
thankJudithButler,whohasextended herselfin innumerableways to supportmy
work.Iamalsogratefultomyteachers.HazelCarbyprovidedamodelofscholarly
integrity, encouraged myinterdisciplinary pursuits, and was an exactingreader.
AlanTrachtenberg sharedhispassion forthestudy ofculture,providedinvaluable
criticism, andcontinuedtolendhissupportevenaftermyofficialstudentdayswere
over. JohnSzwedsupplied.me withendlesscitationsandsharedmany instructive
anecdotes. Othersread the manuscript and offeredvaluablecomments: Barbara
Christian,VeVeClark, MichaelDavidson,JulieEllison,MaeHenderson, George
Lipsitz, EricLou, ArnoldRampersad, DavidRoediger,and Michael Rogin. My
research assistant, Hershini Bhana, provided immensely valuable labor on this
project;herdedication,enthusiasm,andcommitment mademyowntasksomuch
easier.JanAndersonhelpedmetocompletethebibliography. GlendaCarpiopre..
paredtheindex~
The support of friends and colleagues has been invaluable: Elizabeth Abel,
Elizabeth Alexander, Lindon Barrett, Rhakesh Bandari, Tobe Correal, Aya de
Leon,RosaLindaFregoso,HermanGrey,TeraHunter,DonnaJones,LataMani,
Ruth Frankenberg, Sharon Holland, Lisa Lowe, David Lloyd, Michael Rogin,
Acknowledgments
renKaplan,AbdulJanMohamed,HarryetteMullen,DonnyWebster,andWendy
lite,SpecialthankstoUlaTaylorforbeingthebestcolleagueIcouldhopetohave
Ia good friend. NannaAlarcon provided a modelof intellectualpassion and
nrnitment under fire. bell hookshas alwaysbeen a reminder thatcourage is a
ural ingredientofintellectual work.AngelaHarris,PaulRogers,andRobertSt.
utinWestleyreadthe"chapters thoroughly, sharedmany importantinsights,and
edmany an afternoonwithstimulatingconversation.
~arahJasmineGriffinandDonnaDanielswerethemidwivesofthisbook,helping
through many difficult moments..providing inspiration when I desperately
~ded it, and givinggenerouslyof their time. Bill andJulia Lowe havebeen an
.ndingsourceofinspirationandloveinmylife.Ithankthemforbelievingthata]1
19S arepossible,evenwhenIdidnot.Myparents,BeryleandVirgilioHartman,
te generously of their love even when they did not understand my choices.
rally, IthankGilbert,withoutwhoselove,support,andsteadfastcommitmentthis
)k wouldnothave beenpossible.
.s.
kland, California V. H.
nember 1996
Contents
Introduction 3
FORMATIONS OF TERROR AND ENJOYMENT
Innocent Amusements: TheStageofSufferance 17
2 Redressing thePained Body: Toward aTheory of Practice 49
3 Seductionand the Ruses of Power 79
II THE SUBJECT OF FREEDOM
4 TheBurdened Individuallty ofFreedom 115
5 Fashioning Obligation: Indebted Servitude
andtheFettersof Slavery 125
6 InstinctandInjury: BodilyIntegrity,NaturalAffinities
t
andtheConstitution of Equality 164
Notes 207
SelectedBibliography 255
Index 277