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The United States has a history of distortion and/or erasure of the violence perpetrated against Black bodies that begs interpretation. This paper concentrates on the use of violence by slave owners and then post-slavery violence with an emphasis on the atrocities associated with lynching. This leads to my research question: “How are the murders of Black men and boys at the hands of police officers and white citizens in modern day society an extension of lynching?” Qualitative content analysis is used to answer the question, using literature from the 17th century to the 21st century of repetitious violence against the black body. Other textual components are incorporated by way of poetry and literature reviews on lynching. The emerging patterns/themes are identified through open coding and axial coding. Findings revealed the juxtaposition of the pattern and rates of “justified” lynching and, more recently, the murder of unarmed Black males. Conclusions reveal how the violence of lynching supersedes other forms of violence against Black bodies. Upon reviewing James Allen’s book, Without Sanctuary, I find it is a visual and accurate history of lynching with dead black bodies as silent “witnesses,” of their own deaths. The airing of endless videos of unarmed Black males’ murders risks finding an audience that views them as entertainment—obliterating the cruelty visited on Black bodies. Included in my conclusion, is the argument that history unabashedly repeats itself in the slaughter of Black bodies.
Advisor: | Frey Spurlock, Connie |
Commitee: | Maätita, Florence, Hedley, Mark |
School: | Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville |
Department: | Sociology |
School Location: | United States -- Illinois |
Source: | MAI 81/6(E), Masters Abstracts International |
Source Type: | DISSERTATION |
Subjects: | Sociology, American studies, Black studies |
Keywords: | Black males, Justice, Lynching, Police, Trayvon, Violence |
Publication Number: | 13877788 |
ISBN: | 9781392544648 |