å Monday, September 18th, 2017

Before any of the New World conquest entered, black women of Africa had lived in their bodies unmarked by Europe’s preoccupation with physiognomy. Their skin color, hair texture and their facial features were seen to be a cultural deficiency. An Englishman named Richard Ligon described what it was like seeing an African American woman for the first time. His shipped had set sail from London to the Barbados and he saw a black women for the first time. He described this black woman to be the greatest beauty he’s ever seen in one woman. He said she was large, excellently shaped with full big eyes. He compared her beauty to Queen Anne. His statement with comparing her to the Queen had a lot of controversy because it was unusual to compare someone too a monarchy, especially being a black women with how everyone else viewed them. A lot of the times, many English writers had compared a black woman body and figure to a white woman’s body. Most of the other Englishman would disagree with Richard Ligons statement and said black women to be monstrous and not feminine enough. Since many people had disagreed with Ligons views, as his journey went on he changed his view of black women. He stated that their breast would hang down below their navels and would critique their bodies. African Americans women bodies were dehumanized by the way these scholars would write about them and view them. I believe that because of these writings they did about these women, sets the stage on how society should see and views a women “perfect” body.

My question is, do you think that the sole purpose for Ligon changing his opinion on how he views black women, was based off of all the other Englishman and scholars viewing them with such negative feedback?

In chapter one of “Male Travelers, Female Bodies, and Racial Ideology”, Jennifer Morgan explains the connection between the female body and racism. Throughout the chapter, a common theme was familiarity and unfamiliarity. The familiar in this case was the gender of the native women, and the unfamiliar was their race, and the features and behaviors associated with it.

Although this theme is present throughout the chapter, the last paragraph on page 28, is a good example of this reoccurring theme. Jobson starts off by mentioning the African women’s beauty and the familiarity of their features. However, he only praises their behaviors when they match his. For example, when Morgan discusses Jobson’s fascination with the African women’s modesty. She points out that the lack of modesty found in the African culture contradicts his expectations of women in his culture. Therefore, due to the traveler’s unfamiliarity with the native’s lifestyle, natives are depicted as uncivil and savages.

In my opinion, the connection between the female’s body and racism was demonstrated through the exploitation of the female’s bodies. In this chapter, travelers and writers wrote about their explorations in new countries, in which they discriminated its locals based on their (dark) features and behaviours. Most of the travelers mentioned were white males who shared common familiars. Such as, the familiarity of (white) women in femininity and modesty. Seeing the absences of these familiars lead them to exploit women in order to reconstruct a more “familiar” lifestyle for the natives. Images of women’s bodies was their mode of manipulation – exploiting women’s bodies as evidence to display the corruption of their lifestyle. Through this approach, travelers were able to direct the settlers towards a lifestyle of white male supremacy and cultural inferiority. Thus, because of the intersection of racism and sexism, women of racial minorities are objectified by being portrayed as savages and cabalist. Due to the traveler’s belief of their superiority and their familiarity of life.

In chapter 1 of Jennifer Morgan’s book she explains how African women’s bodies were dehumanized in order to justify slavery. Early European travelers wrote reports of both Native American and African women. These reports included images and writings that shaped ideologies that othered non europeans. By painting these people as savages, specially the women, Europeans were able to set the groundwork for what would result in the race classifications and the exploitation of black and brown bodies that continues today. One trope that was spoken about throughout the chapter was the idea of black women as having extremely long hanging breasts. Not only did this trope further the idea of black women as reproductive factories it also allowed Europeans to liken them to domesticated animals and beasts. The image of the black mother carrying her child on her back and throwing her breast over her shoulder for them to suck on was an image propagated throughout europe. This image not only helped to solidify black women as  monstrous beings but it allowed for a clear distinction between white women and black women. While white women were weak, dainty and pure black women were depicted as unnaturally strong and masculine. One of the main ways this difference was made clear was through accounts on black women’s childbearing practices. Much of the literature spoke on black women unnatural reproductive abilities. They were said to not feel pain during childbirth and were capable of bearing children and go tend to  their daily work almost immediately after. When compared to white women who were aided by nurses and demonstrated pain and fragility during childbirth it cast black women as in the same category as livestock. If pain during childbirth was a biblical curse that god put upon Eve, the fact that black women apparently did not feel pain proved they were not descendants of Eve and therefore were in the same realm as animals. The hanging breasts were also used to liken black women to beasts. One informant wrote that a woman’s breasts were so long their grazed the floor as she bent to do field work creating the illusion of six legs. Another example was the use of the word “dug” when describing their breasts, a word commonly used for animals. These images all worked together to solidify the idea of African women as subhuman savages. This idea was used to legitimize the enslavement of both african women and men.

Question: What were the differences and similarities between the depictions of Native American women and African women? Why did these differ? Can we see some of the same images being perpetrated in today’s society?

In the first chapter “Male Travelers,  Female Bodies, and the Gendering of Racial Ideology” of Jennifer Morgan’s book, she mainly talks about how European countries were exploding West Africa and how the white explorers looked black women for sending America to work as slaves. In 15-16th century, Europeans started travel over the sea, they knew African continent exist unlike the Americas, but they did not know what was there. Then, they found African people who are totally different from white Europeans and started label them as savage. Some documents shows that white Europeans viewed them as nonsexual animals, monstrous, human savage. Some people expressed as monsters with six legs. They basically looked them as not human, and they usually couldn’t distinguish their sex, and the only crew to distinguish their sex was whether or not they have breasts. This majority view for African women is one of the main causes racism and degradation of African women. Furthermore, they are thought to be inferior because of their cultures and customs that was totally different from European region. For example, African people at that time were naked constantly and they did not have idea of chastity because African women usually had sexual intercourse everyone in the group. Moreover, they had to work while they are pregnant. This was really savage for white Europeans. This caused them to behave inhumanly and sell them to America as slaves. These cultural and physical differences were enough for Europeans to justify racism. They might have thought like they are useful for white people and they don’t even have to be treated as human. Some document says that they are not sexually attractive at all, but they are good enough for reproducing slaves.

Discussion Question: What made European explorers think they are inferior to white Europeans?