Not Staying in Their Place: An Historic Analysis of Mechanisms of Controlling Movement of Black Men in America through the Lenses of Social Identity and Gender

Abstract

Since the arrival of enslaved Africans to the British colony of Virginia in the early 17th century, the spaces of Black men have been policed. Templates characterizing Black males as violent, dangerous, and sexually potent were fully developed by the 18th century and reflected in laws, practices, and systems designed to control their movement. This article applies lenses of social identity and gender to examine contemporary constructs of and practices toward Black men, tracing them back to their historical precursors. The authors contend that fear-based templates continue to be evoked in 21st century America to control the movement and space of Black men through systems and structures which criminalize, terrorize, and economically and educationally dis-advantage them. A major impetus for the development of these systems and structures has been the construction of White masculinities. The authors thus explore the co-constitutive nature of Black and White social identities, a central component of which is gender.