|
Showing 1 - 6 of
6 matches in All Departments
This book covers topics from Cherokee chiefs to womanless weddings.
The follow-up to the critically acclaimed collection ""Southern
Manhood: Perspectives on Masculinity in the Old South"" (Georgia,
2004), ""Southern Masculinity"" explores the contours of southern
male identity from Reconstruction to the present. Twelve case
studies document the changing definitions of southern masculine
identity as understood in conjunction with identities based on
race, gender, age, sexuality, and geography.After the Civil War,
southern men crafted notions of manhood in opposition to northern
ideals of masculinity and as counterpoint to southern womanhood. At
the same time, manliness in the South - as understood by
individuals and within communities - retained and transformed
antebellum conceptions of honor and mastery. This collection
examines masculinity with respect to Reconstruction, the New South,
racism, southern womanhood, the Sunbelt, gay rights, and the rise
of the Christian Right. Familiar figures such as Arthur Ashe are
investigated from fresh angles, while other essays plumb new areas
such as the womanless wedding and Cherokee masculinity.
During his first inaugural address, Abraham Lincoln expressed hope
that the "better angels of our nature" would prevail as war loomed.
He was wrong. The better angels did not, but for many Americans,
the evil ones did. War Is All Hell peers into the world of devils,
demons, Satan, and hell during the era of the American Civil War.
It charts how African Americans and abolitionists compared slavery
to hell, how Unionists rendered Confederate secession illegal by
linking it to Satan, and how many Civil War soldiers came to
understand themselves as living in hellish circumstances. War Is
All Hell also examines how many Americans used evil to advance
their own agendas. Sometimes literally, oftentimes figuratively,
the agents of hell and hell itself became central means for many
Americans to understand themselves and those around them, to
legitimate their viewpoints and actions, and to challenge those of
others. Many who opposed emancipation did so by casting Abraham
Lincoln as the devil incarnate. Those who wished to pursue harsher
war measures encouraged their soldiers to "fight like devils." And
finally, after the war, when white men desired to stop genuine
justice, they terrorized African Americans by dressing up as
demons. A combination of religious, political, cultural, and
military history, War Is All Hell illuminates why, after the war,
one of its leading generals described it as "all hell."
Pioneering historian, sociologist, editor, novelist, poet, and
organizer, W. E. B. Du Bois was one of the foremost African
American intellectuals of the twentieth century. While Du Bois is
remembered for his monumental contributions to scholarship and
civil rights activism, the spiritual aspects of his work have been
misunderstood, even negated. "W. E. B. Du Bois, American Prophet,"
the first religious biography of this leader, illuminates the
spirituality that is essential to understanding his efforts and
achievements in the political and intellectual world.Often labeled
an atheist, Du Bois was in fact deeply and creatively involved with
religion. Historian Edward J. Blum reveals how spirituality was
central to Du Bois's approach to Marxism, pan-Africanism, and
nuclear disarmament, his support for black churches, and his
reckoning of the spiritual wage of white supremacy. His writings,
teachings, and prayers served as articles of faith for fellow
activists of his day, from student book club members to Langston
Hughes.A blend of history, sociology, literary criticism, and
religious reflection in the model of Du Bois's best work, "W. E. B.
Du Bois, American Prophet" recasts the life of this great visionary
and intellectual for a new generation of scholars and
activists.Honorable Mention, 2007 Gustavus Myers Center Outstanding
Book Awards
During Reconstruction, former abolitionists in the North had a
golden opportunity to pursue true racial justice and permanent
reform in America. But after the sacrifice made by thousands of
Union soldiers to arrive at this juncture, the moment soon slipped
away, leaving many whites throughout the North and South more
racist than before. Edward J. Blum takes a fresh look at the
reasons for this failure in Reforging the White Republic, focusing
on the vital role that religion played in reunifying northern and
southern whites into a racially segregated society. A blend of
history and social science, Reforging the White Republic offers a
surprising perspective on the forces of religion as well as
nationalism and imperialism at a critical point in American
history.
This book covers topics from Cherokee chiefs to womanless weddings.
The follow-up to the critically acclaimed collection ""Southern
Manhood: Perspectives on Masculinity in the Old South"" (Georgia,
2004), ""Southern Masculinity"" explores the contours of southern
male identity from Reconstruction to the present. Twelve case
studies document the changing definitions of southern masculine
identity as understood in conjunction with identities based on
race, gender, age, sexuality, and geography.After the Civil War,
southern men crafted notions of manhood in opposition to northern
ideals of masculinity and as counterpoint to southern womanhood. At
the same time, manliness in the South - as understood by
individuals and within communities - retained and transformed
antebellum conceptions of honor and mastery. This collection
examines masculinity with respect to Reconstruction, the New South,
racism, southern womanhood, the Sunbelt, gay rights, and the rise
of the Christian Right. Familiar figures such as Arthur Ashe are
investigated from fresh angles, while other essays plumb new areas
such as the womanless wedding and Cherokee masculinity.
|
|