From 1890s to the 1930s, white mobs tortured and killed thousands of African Americans across the South. These lynchings, even those committed by the smallest of mobs, were ritualistic and performative, enacting and reinforcing the core beliefs of white supremacy. The narratives and photographs produced after lynchings likewise created and circulated representations of white domination and black subordination. Lynching was thus more than a social or political form of violence; it was a cultural spectacle that conveyed meaning to its white participants and spectators. This article, adapted from the author’s 2009 book, examines the forces that gave rise to lynching spectacles and the cultural work those spectacles performed. It argues that, although the spectacle was reinforced through modern technologies, such as photography, lynching ultimately arose as a reaction against the transformations that modern life had brought to the South. Industrialization and urbanization had destabilized the racial hierarchy and fueled white fears of a black crime wave. Lynching was a violent means to assert order in the face of potential disorder. As such, it was rooted in traditional practices, such as notions of popular justice and public executions, and white southerners interpreted lynching spectacles through local customs and beliefs. Over time, the dissemination of lynching spectacle nationally through modern media by anti‐lynching activists contributed to the decline of mob violence.

中文翻译：

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Lynching的奇观：吉姆·乌鸦南部的白色至高无上的仪式

从1890年代到1930年代，白人暴民在南部折磨并杀死了成千上万的非洲裔美国人。这些私刑，甚至是最小的暴民所实施的私刑，都是仪式性和表演性的，制定并加强了白人至上的核心信念。私刑后产生的叙述和照片同样创造并传播了白人统治和黑人从属的表现。因此，“林奇”不仅仅是一种社会或政治形式的暴力。这是一种文化奇观，向白人参与者和观众传达了意义。本文改编自作者2009年的书，探讨了导致私密眼镜的力量以及这些眼镜进行的文化工作。它认为，尽管通过摄影等现代技术加强了这种奇观，私刑最终产生是对现代生活带给南方的转变的一种反应。工业化和城市化破坏了种族等级的稳定，加剧了白人对黑人犯罪浪潮的恐惧。面对潜在的疾病，“私密”是一种维持秩序的暴力手段。因此，它根植于传统做法，例如大众正义和公共处决的观念，而南方的白人则通过当地的习俗和信仰来解释私刑眼镜。随着时间的流逝，反私刑活动家通过现代媒体在全国范围内传播私刑眼镜，助长了暴民暴力的减少。工业化和城市化破坏了种族等级的稳定，加剧了白人对黑人犯罪浪潮的恐惧。面对潜在的疾病，“私密”是一种维持秩序的暴力手段。因此，它根植于传统做法，例如大众正义和公共处决的观念，而南方的白人则通过当地的习俗和信仰来解释私刑眼镜。随着时间的流逝，反私刑活动家通过现代媒体在全国范围内传播私刑眼镜，助长了暴民暴力的减少。工业化和城市化破坏了种族等级的稳定，加剧了白人对黑人犯罪浪潮的恐惧。面对潜在的疾病，“私密”是一种维持秩序的暴力手段。因此，它根植于传统做法，例如大众正义和公共处决的观念，而南方的白人则通过当地的习俗和信仰来解释私刑眼镜。随着时间的流逝，反私刑活动家通过现代媒体在全国范围内传播私刑眼镜，助长了暴民暴力的减少。