Black Female 'Things' in International Law: A Meditation on Saartjie Baartman and Truganini
2012; RELX Group (Netherlands); Linguagem: Inglês
10.2139/ssrn.2159002
ISSN1556-5068
Autores Tópico(s)Historical and Contemporary Political Dynamics
ResumoThrough the figures of Saartjie Baartman, the Hottentot Venus, and Truganini, the “last Tasmanian Aboriginal,” this Chapter explores the contrasts between the historic status of black women as chattel (“not-human” things) and their choices and actions in pursuit of the “things” of importance to them. The “choices” made by these women add complexity to the understanding of the nature of “choice” in international law, with particular relevance to the discussion of “choice” and “consent” in the global struggle against human exploitation. The Chapter also addresses Saartjie Baartman’s and Trugannini’s roles in relation to their contemporaneous and contemporary communities. Their bodies “proved” the scientific bases of “natural” racial hierarchies and subordination. The stories of their exploitation cemented the theoretical foundations of the expansion of positivist theories of international law, and illustrate the co-existence of freedom and enslavement.
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