Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Within this study, Dwyer argues persuasively that for both slaveholders and the enslaved, emotion was used as a crucial tool of power and thus mastering one’s emotions, as the title suggests, was integral to navigating daily life under slavery...By emphasizing the central role that emotion played in the maintenance of and resistance to slavery, Dwyer is doing the vital work of urging us to recognize the pervasive role emotion--an often overlooked social and political force--continues to play in upholding racist power structures in today’s society." * American Nineteenth Century History *
"In
Mastering Emotions, Erin Austin Dwyer insightfully demonstrates how emotions shaped, maintained, and challenged the institution of slavery by examining the power dynamics of real and performative feelings between people who were enslaved and slave owners...
Mastering Emotions covers considerable ground, examining a number of emotions from multiple angles and perspectives...Importantly, Dwyer's conclusion makes a strong case for further academic and cultural work to better understand the power dynamics of emotions within race relations since the abolition of slavery more than 150 years ago." * The Journal of Southern History *
""Essential...Dwyer’s thoroughly documented study demonstrates that white southerners often dismissed the emotional capacity of Black people, especially when it came to separating enslaved families by sale...One of the many virtues of this volume is that Dwyer carries her story beyond emancipation into the Jim Crow era." * Choice *
Table of ContentsIntroduction. The Emotional Politics of Slavery
Chapter 1. "To Change Their Sentiments"
Chapter 2. "Born and Reared in Slavery"
Chapter 3. "The Pursuit of Happiness"
Chapter 4. "Breach of Confidence"
Chapter 5. "Fear No Lash, nor Worse"
Chapter 6. "Enjoying Freedom"
Epilogue. "The Sentiment Left by Slavery Is Still with Us"
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
