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Lynching in the U.S. south: incorporating the historical record on race, class, and gender

Garoutte, Lisa

Abstract Details

2007, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Sociology.
Between 1882 and 1930, nearly 3,000 people were lynched in the U.S. South. This brutal and violent phenomenon has been of long standing interest to both sociologists and historians, yet sociologists have not fully incorporated historical insights into their modeling of lynching events. This project, drawing from prior sociological and historical work, addresses issues of class, gender, and race that have been largely overlooked in empirical accounts of lynching events. Quantitative data and analyses are first used to identify broader race competition and social class processes that led to the occurrence of lynching in the aggregate, and the specific selection of cases takes into account gendered-racist justifications provided for the violence. Qualitative and quantitative content coding of archival material are then used to examine the ways in which local media drew on gender, race and class biases to legitimate lynching events. The findings suggest that previous work on lynching, while informative, is limited: the organizational base of elites with respect to racial exploitation must be considered; race and gendered beliefs had important consequences for lynching, shaping who was lynched and why; and, finally, gendered-racist framing legitimate both the brutality of lynching and prevailing stratification arrangements. While directly relevant to the sociological literature on lynching, my findings also extend to the study of contemporary stratification. In particular, the results inform and address (1) our understanding of an historically important method of subordination and social control; (2) sociological conceptions of the relationship between race, class, and gender; and (3) the symbiotic relationship between structure and culture.
Vincent Roscigno (Advisor)

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Garoutte, L. (2007). Lynching in the U.S. south: incorporating the historical record on race, class, and gender [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1179510859

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Garoutte, Lisa. Lynching in the U.S. south: incorporating the historical record on race, class, and gender. 2007. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1179510859.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Garoutte, Lisa. "Lynching in the U.S. south: incorporating the historical record on race, class, and gender." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1179510859

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)