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Assignment #3 Alfie Corteza

Alfie Corteza

Professor Bullock

Assignment #3

In Jennifer’s Morgan’s book a standard connection between the female body and racism would be how non-European women were portrayed. A reoccurring theme is the depiction of women of color as barbaric and inhumane as their method of concealing and usage of their breasts were not to the standards of European society.

An example of the European portrayal of colored women would be the description of an African women’s’ large breasts, it was that it seems she had six legs when she bent over. This classification, when told to other individuals, would construct a visual representation that appears as if the women from Africa are not human beings, but some creature with a human form. An example of this kind of derogatory remarks would be the foundation of numerous opinions of many European writers. It is not surprising that an Englishman known as Richard Ligon would make Africans equal to animals based off of their physical features. As a result, when the books of these writers made their way to Europe, European society considered Africans as inhuman. Africans were found to be inhuman well into the mid 19th century in Europe, as they were present in human zoos scattered in Germany, France, and even England.

In addition to being regarded as an animal, women of color were also associated being devilish figures and inconsiderate in regards to the way they fed their children. Women would breastfeed their child by placing their breast on their shoulder towards their back so that the infant may feed. This method of feeding was considered different and improper in the eyes of a European as women in Europe would breastfeed by cradling the baby to their bosom. Europeans also felt their method of feeding the child as inhumane as the constant contact of the child’s’ face to the back of the woman would cause abnormalities to the facial structure of the child. European writers explain that due to the artificial facial reconstructing of the child’s face African women alone caused their entire race to suffer degradation.

As a result, the usage of the female anatomy reinforces racism by differentiating the physical attributes of the breasts and the usage of it in regards to feeding the children. In addition to skin color, etiquette, and cultural differences Europeans used the physical differences between white Europeans and those of color to display who is civilized and who isn’t. Ultimately causing northern Europeans to display superiority, while those who aren’t to be inferior.

My question: If the Europeans considered the Africans and the aboriginals of the Americas to be devils, and inferior to them, why was there miscegenation?