Offer a detailed example of the shaping and/or reshaping of African identities by summarising the central argument of one text that we discussed this semester. [10]

Question

Across the semester, students have written five response papers, each focused on a different text. For each text we have discussed the central argument as it pertains to identity – especially how authors’ ethnographic data demonstrates the performance of specific social identities. This part of the assignment will be evaluated in the same manner as your response papers with one alteration. Rather than award two marks for referencing (referencing will be awarded for your paper a whole), two marks will be awarded based on how effectively you draw your response paper into your essay as a whole. Tips for how to accomplish this will be discussed in lecture and tutorials. ANTHROPOLOGY Code;ANTD2614

Answer 1

One text that we discussed this semester which highlights the shaping and reshaping of African identities is "No Mercy Here: Gender, Punishment, and the Making of Jim Crow Modernity" by Sarah Haley. In this text, Haley explores the ways in which African American women in the Jim Crow South were subjected to harsh punishment and incarceration as a means of controlling and disciplining their bodies and behaviors. Through a detailed examination of historical records and personal narratives, Haley argues that the criminal justice system played a significant role in shaping and reinforcing racial and gender identities in the United States.

Haley's central argument revolves around the idea that African American women were disproportionately targeted and punished within the criminal justice system, leading to the construction of specific social identities that positioned them as deviant and dangerous. Through the use of forced labor, physical punishment, and sexual violence, African American women were degraded and dehumanized, reinforcing stereotypes of black women as inherently immoral and criminal. This not only impacted the individual women who were subjected to these forms of punishment, but also had broader implications for how African American identity was constructed and perceived within society.

By drawing on ethnographic data and historical sources, Haley demonstrates how the performance of specific social identities was closely tied to the oppressive systems of power and control that were in place during the Jim Crow era. Through the harsh treatment of African American women within the criminal justice system, their identities were reshaped in ways that reinforced existing racial and gender hierarchies. This serves as a powerful example of how the construction of identities is not static, but rather constantly evolving and influenced by historical and social forces.

Overall, Haley's text sheds light on the ways in which African identities were shaped and reshaped through systems of punishment and control, particularly for African American women in the Jim Crow South. By analyzing the performance of specific social identities within the context of the criminal justice system, Haley provides a nuanced understanding of how identity is intricately linked to power dynamics and societal norms.