Friday, March 15, 2013
Initial thought on Woodward
After doing some pre-reading, it seems that the objective of Woodward's book, for the time it was written in, was to dispel the belief that segregation of African Americans was a natural order of society. He establishes his argument by showing that despite the common belief that the South is a region that has long established beliefs and traditions, the South as a region has had the most discontinuities in its history than any other region in the United States. His first chapter begins this process by showing that in the days of slavery segregation was not a compatible system to govern the work of slaves. In fact, he shows that slavery required more interaction of racial groups than did the period following emancipation. I would imagine this book was very provocative for the time it was written. One thing I am confused about is something he says in the preface to the second edition. He states that segregation as he defines it means physical separation, not social separation. How can people be physically separated without being also socially separated? Can anybody help me here?
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Interesting question. My understanding of the difference is that it pertains to separate social spheres (if that is an appropriate term). Before the implementation of Jim Crow laws, Woodward explains, whites and blacks could use the same physical spaces--places like hospitals, entryways, entertainment venues, etc. that became physically segregated as Jim Crow codes developed. This did not mean, however, that they necessarily occupied the same social circles. It seems that the idea of miscegenation is a good marker of the social limitations that, one might argue, overlapped or even grew into physical limitations.
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