The Many Faces of Judge Lynch: Extralegal Violence and Punishment in America

Waldrep, C.

The U.S. is the most violent industrialized country in the world, and lynching - that is, murder endorsed by the community - may be a key to understanding America's heritage of violence and perhaps point to solutions that can eradicate it. While lynchings are predominantly racial in tone and motive, Christopher Waldrep's sweeping study of the meaning and uses of lynching from the colonial period to the present reveals that the definition of the term has shifted dramatically over time, and that the victims and perpetuators of lynching were as diverse as its many meanings. By examining lynching from a comparative and temporal perspective, Waldrep teaches us important lessons not only about racial violence in America, but about the ways in which communities define and justify crime and the punishment of its criminals.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2003-05-02

Format: Paperback

ISBN-13: 9781403967114

DOI: 10.1057/9781403982711

Dimensions: 229.0cm x152.0cm

Pages: 265.0