Contesting Slave Masculinity in the American South

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'Doddington's riveting portraits of rebels and resistors, conspirators and collaborators offer nuanced insight into American slavery, as well as refreshing intersectional analysis of race, gender and sexuality. This book provides a powerful portrait of a key era, introducing more complex interpretations of dominance, violence, exploitation and vivid sketches of 'performing manhood' and homosocial subcultures. Doddington's emphasis on multiple hierarchies and competing community values is a welcome addition to this expanding field, enriching our understanding of struggles for those navigating the treacherous terrain of an antebellum slave South.' Catherine Clinton, author of Stepdaughters of History: Southern Women and the American Civil War 'What did it mean to be both a man and also a slave? In this deeply researched, powerful and compelling account of how enslaved men established masculine identity in work, in family and sex, in having authority over other slaves, and in various forms of violence, Doddington convincingly demonstrates just how fluid the idea and reality of notions of manhood were among enslaved peoples in antebellum America. This book provides fascinating new perspectives on just about every area of American slavery through a sophisticated gender analysis.' Trevor Burnard, author of Planters, Merchants, and Slaves: Plantation Societies in British America, 1650-1820 'David Stefan Doddington's innovative book offers a bold challenge to the idea of a united slave community struggling against oppression. His argument, that enslaved men were perfectly capable of looking out for their own interests even to the detriment of other enslaved people, makes for a much more realistic portrait of the slave community as a result. This book is an important addition to the historiography of enslaved masculinity in the antebellum South.' Tim Lockley, author of Welfare and Charity in the Antebellum South 'Contesting Slave Masculinity in the American South expands the conversation surrounding enslaved masculinity and spurs new inquiries into the intersection of race and gender.' Rachel McManimen, North Carolina Historical Review