New Books in Critical Theory Patrice D. Douglass, "Engendering Blackness: Slavery and the Ontology of Sexual Violence" (Stanford UP, 2025)
Aug 29, 2025
Patrice D. Douglass, assistant professor at UC Berkeley, dives into the intertwined nature of sexual violence and racial slavery in her groundbreaking work. She argues that these historical traumas shape contemporary Black identity in ways often overlooked. Douglass challenges conventional feminist theories, emphasizing the necessity of revising narratives around Blackness. The discussion spans from the complexities of Black feminist historiography to the enduring legacies of slavery, urging listeners to confront difficult truths about memory, identity, and the ongoing impact of historical violence.
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From Prison Abolition To Archive Discovery
- Douglass intended to study prison abolition but found the archive led her to sexual violence and slavery.
- That discovery shifted her dissertation and eventually produced Engendering Blackness.
Critically Extend Black Feminist Tools
- Douglass positions her work as indebted to Black feminism while also urging critical engagement with its limits.
- She urges pushing Black feminist tools further to confront ongoing, unresolved violences.
Rethink Womanhood As Protective Category
- Douglass critiques mapping female slave onto 'woman' as potentially re-entrenching biocentric frameworks.
- She calls for queer and trans thinking to unsettle gender assumptions in slavery studies.
