Reviewed by:

• Rethinking Rufus: Sexual Violations of Enslaved Men by Thomas A. Foster
• Libra Hilde

In the first book-length treatment of the sexual violation of enslaved men by white women and men, Thomas A. Foster explores the repercussions of such abuse for individuals, families, and communities. Foster frames his study as a reimagining of the frequently cited narrative of Rose Williams, this time from the perspective of Rufus. While this approach necessarily ventures into the realm of the speculative, it raises probing and vital questions. Foster deftly handles the complexity of sexual violence, painting a picture of "multilayered webs of abuse" (p. 115). He shows that preconceptions about manhood and what constitutes rape, as well as enduring stereotypes of Black men's hypersexuality and white women's passivity, have led to the assumption that enslaved men must have been willing participants in sexual encounters. Such factors have delayed scholarly recognition of the sexual exploitation of enslaved men. Foster builds on the literature that defines rape as a demonstration of dominance, arguing that consent cannot exist in the midst of the stark asymmetries of power that characterized slavery. Though focused mainly on the United States, Foster is expansive in his chronological and geographic coverage of slavery in the Western Hemisphere. He draws from a wide range of sources, including newspapers, court records, and the personal narratives of enslavers and the enslaved, as well as various forms of Western art.

Foster opens by tracing the eroticization of the Black male body, including sexualized display, torture, and the sexual overtones of whipping. He suggests that sexual abuse took a significant "psychic toll" on enslaved men and makes important observations about the limitations of available sources (p. 30). Abolitionist literature designed for persuasion was unlikely to directly confront the sexual assault of men. Although Foster situates his work in the burgeoning scholarship on masculinity, he stops short of exploring the full range of masculine expression in slave communities. The book is at its strongest when posing overarching questions, but it occasionally slips in its attention to detail. For instance, on page 35, a discussion of Henry Bibb's commentary on [End Page 337] marriage seems to conflate his two different wives (see Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Henry Bibb, an American Slave [1849], pp. 190–92). In addition, the framing of the Rufus and Rose story works well for some chapters and is more tenuous for others.

Foster defines forced reproduction as a sexual violation of enslaved men and women. Forced pairing created hierarchies of status that benefited some men and undermined the masculine identity of others. These practices isolated men, both the favored and the disfavored, in different ways. Foster convincingly argues that the dehumanization of sexual exploitation had a multifaceted impact and contributed to social isolation and community fragmentation. Foster also approaches regular sexual contact between white women and enslaved men, as revealed by divorce and court records, through the "lens of sexual exploitation" (p. 69). White women could and did use their agency and power within the southern social hierarchy to engage in sexual aggression and experimentation, exploiting Black bodies in ways similar to the well-documented abuses perpetrated by white men on enslaved women. This is an especially valuable contribution, though the chapter would benefit from better incorporating Diane Miller Sommerville's extensive work on slavery, rape, and race.

Foster ends by considering same-sex sexuality and abuses, again elucidating ongoing biases and oversights in the scholarship. The tendency to apply the term "friendship" to male relationships, Foster states, "runs the risk of closing down queer possibilities" (p. 91). He uses art to delve further into white objectification of Black male bodies and demonstrates the particular vulnerability of enslaved male valets to sexual violation by white men. Overall, this book expands our understanding of the brutalities of slavery and opens up new avenues for further study.

审核人：

• 重新思考鲁弗斯：托马斯·福斯特（Thomas A. Foster）对被奴役者的性侵犯
• 天秤座希尔德

托马斯·福斯特（Thomas A. Foster）在对白人妇女和男子对奴隶制的性侵犯进行的第一本书长度的治疗中，探讨了这种虐待对个人，家庭和社区的影响。福斯特将他的研究构想为对罗斯·威廉姆斯经常被引用的叙述的重新构想，这次是从鲁弗斯的角度出发。尽管这种方法必定会冒险进入投机领域，但却引发了探究性和至关重要的问题。福斯特巧妙地处理了性暴力的复杂性，画了一幅“多层虐待网”（第115页）。他表明，关于成年和强奸的先入之见，以及黑人男子的性欲过剩和白人妇女的被动性的持久刻板印象，导致人们认为奴隶制男人一定愿意参加性接触。这些因素延迟了学术界对奴役者性剥削的认识。福斯特以将强奸定义为统治地位的文献为基础，认为在以奴隶制为特征的鲜明权力不对称之中不能存在同意。尽管福斯特主要关注美国，但他在西半球对奴隶制的时间顺序和地理分布范围很广。他从各种各样的资源中汲取资源，包括报纸，法庭记录，奴役者和被奴役者的个人叙述以及各种形式的西方艺术。争辩说，在奴隶制特征鲜明的权力不对称之中不能存在同意。尽管福斯特主要关注美国，但他在西半球对奴隶制的时间顺序和地理分布范围很广。他从各种各样的资源中汲取资源，包括报纸，法庭记录，奴役者和被奴役者的个人叙述以及各种形式的西方艺术。争辩说，在奴隶制特征鲜明的权力不对称之中不能存在同意。尽管福斯特主要关注美国，但他在西半球对奴隶制的时间顺序和地理分布范围很广。他从各种各样的资源中汲取资源，包括报纸，法庭记录，奴役者和被奴役者的个人叙述以及各种形式的西方艺术。

Foster通过追踪黑人男性身体的色情化来开启，包括性化的展示，酷刑和鞭打的性暗示。他认为，性虐待给被奴役的男人造成了巨大的“心理伤害”，并对可利用的来源的局限性做出了重要的观察（第30页）。专为说服而设计的废奴主义文学不可能直接面对男人的性侵犯。尽管福斯特将他的工作放在新兴的男性气质奖学金上，但他仍在探索奴隶社区中男性气概的全方位表现。在提出总体问题时，这本书是最强大的，但偶尔会忽略对细节的关注。例如，在第35页上，讨论了亨利·比伯（Henry Bibb）对[结束页337]的评论。婚姻似乎将他的两个不同的妻子混为一谈（见《美国奴隶亨利·比伯的生活与冒险记叙事》 [1849]，第190-92页）。此外，Rufus和Rose故事的框架在某些章节中效果很好，而在另一些章节中则比较脆弱。

福斯特将强迫生殖定义为对被奴役男女的性侵犯。强迫配对造就了等级制度，使某些人受益，并破坏了另一些人的男性身份。这些做法以不同的方式孤立了受宠者和受宠者。福斯特有说服力地指出，性剥削的非人性化具有多方面的影响，并助长了社会孤立和社区分裂。离婚和法庭记录显示，福斯特还通过“性剥削的镜头”来处理白人妇女和被奴役男人之间的定期性接触（第69页）。白人妇女可以并且确实利用了自己在南方社会等级制度中的权威和权力进行性侵略和性试验，剥削黑人尸体的方式与白人男子对奴役妇女实施的有据可查的虐待类似。尽管本章将从更好地结合戴安娜·米勒·索默维尔在奴隶制，强奸和种族方面的广泛工作中受益，但本章尤其有价值。

福斯特以考虑同性性行为和虐待而告终，再次阐明了奖学金方面的持续偏见和监督。福斯特指出，将“友谊”一词用于男性关系的趋势“冒着关闭同性恋可能性的风险”（第91页）。他利用艺术深入研究黑人男性尸体的白色物体，并展示了奴役的男性代客对白人男性性侵犯的特殊脆弱性。总体而言，这本书扩大了我们对奴隶制残酷行为的理解，并开辟了进一步研究的新途径。