Race, theft, and ethics : property matters in African American literature / Lovalerie King.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

King, Lovalerie.

Series:

Southern literary studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American literature--African American authors--History and criticism.

American literature.

American literature--African American authors.

Property in literature.

Theft in literature.

African Americans in literature.

Law in literature.

Ethics in literature.

Race discrimination in literature.

Physical Description:

x, 187 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, [2007]

Summary:

In Race, Theft, and Ethics, Lovalerie King examines African American literature's critique of American law concerning matters of property, paying particular attention to the stereotypical image of the black thief. She draws on two centuries of African American writing that reflects the manner in which human value became intricately connected with property ownership in American culture, even as racialized social and legal custom and practice severely limited access to property. Using critical race theory, King builds a powerful argument that the stereotype of the black thief is an inevitable byproduct of American law, politics, and social customs.

Contents:

Race, property, and ethics: the historical and legal equation

The ethics of living slavery and Jim Crow

Theft and love in two neo-freedom narratives: Toni Morrison's Beloved and Charles Johnson's Middle passage

Miscegenation, disinheritance, and the ethics of passing

In quest of the elusive American dream.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [159]-182) and index.

ISBN:

9780807132579

0807132578

OCLC:

76828832