White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea

Book cover of White Freedom: The Racial History of an Idea by Tyler Stovallby Tyler Stovall

The racist legacy behind the Western idea of freedom

The era of the Enlightenment, which gave rise to our modern conceptions of freedom and democracy, was also the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. America, a nation founded on the principle of liberty, is also a nation built on African slavery, Native American genocide, and systematic racial discrimination. White Freedom traces the complex relationship between freedom and race from the eighteenth century to today, revealing how being free has meant being white.

Tyler Stovall explores the intertwined histories of racism and freedom in France and the United States, the two leading nations that have claimed liberty as the heart of their national identities. 

He explores how French and American thinkers defined freedom in racial terms and conceived of liberty as an aspect and privilege of whiteness. He discusses how the Statue of Liberty—a gift from France to the United States and perhaps the most famous symbol of freedom on Earth—promised both freedom and whiteness to European immigrants. Taking readers from the Age of Revolution to today, Stovall challenges the notion that racism is somehow a paradox or contradiction within the democratic tradition, demonstrating how white identity is intrinsic to Western ideas about liberty. Throughout the history of modern Western liberal democracy, freedom has long been white freedom.

A major work of scholarship that is certain to draw a wide readership and transform contemporary debates, White Freedom provides vital new perspectives on the inherent racism behind our most cherished beliefs about freedom, liberty, and human rights.

Show more
Show less

Interview with the Author

Podcast Art for Commonwealth Club of CaliforniaCommonwealth Club of California
Tyler Stovall: White Freedom
1/27/21          61 min

Podcast Art for the New Book NetworkNew Books Network
Tyler Stovall, “White Freedom: The Racial History of An Idea” (Princeton UP, 2021)
1/1/21          49 min

Deep Dish on Global Affairs
Freedom and Race Have Shaped Our World and WIll Determine Our Future
2/4/21          36 min

Town Hall Seattle Arts & Culture Series
139. Tyler Stovall with Christtiana Obeysumner: The Intertwined Histories of Racism and Freedom
1/29/21          57 min

Podcast Art of the History Extra PodcastHistory Extra
Liberty and racism: an interconnected history
10/13/21        43 min

Buy on Amazon

Related books

Shields of the Republic: The Triumph and Peril of America’s Alliances Maoism: A Global History Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe Book cover of The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War by Robert J. GordonThe Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living Since the Civil War Book Cover of The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire by William DalrympleThe Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*