Pure White Episode 2: Purity is for the Free
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Dec 11, 2023 Exploring the historical biases surrounding sexual purity, race, and White supremacy, the podcast delves into the intersection of purity culture and the history of slavery in the US. It focuses on how enslaved women used concepts of purity to resist exploitation and maintain their dignity. The narrative of Harriet Jacobs escaping slavery and navigating sexual exploitation provides insights into the complexities faced by women in the 19th century.
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Purity As A Racially Exclusive Privilege
- Sexual purity in US history has been constructed as an exclusive category benefiting white women.
- This construction denied protection and status to enslaved and other nonwhite women, linking purity to freedom.
Harriet Jacobs' Testimony
- Harriet Jacobs escaped slavery and published Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl to reveal women's experiences under slavery.
- Her narrative emphasized continual sexual exploitation to persuade skeptical northern readers.
Purity As Resistance Within Slavery
- Enslaved women framed purity as preserving internal values and communal survival under exploitation.
- Purity language signaled resistance and cultural continuity within oppressive conditions.