Date of Award
5-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Program
History
Department
History
Major Professor
Dr. Katherine Dungy
Second Advisor
Dr. Max Krochmal
Third Advisor
Dr. Rien Fertel
Abstract
An 1897 murder in New Orleans’ French Quarter appeared to be a commonplace barroom-brawl-gone-bad. However, a historical analysis of the crime reveals the complex intersection of race, ethnic identity, and a new meaning of manhood at the turn of the century. When we place the words exchanged between the two men inside urban spaces and the Atlantic world of the late nineteenth century, how racial and gender formation unfolded on the street becomes clear. This microhistory applies spatial analysis and a deep read of newspapers, magazines, and court documents. It addresses a topic not yet fully explored, namely, the intersection of Creole and French identity with a new ideal of manhood. It is the story of a Kulturkampf—a culture war-- and of the long-standing tradition in the United States to resort to extra-legal violence to settle disputes.
Recommended Citation
Rubio, Yvette A., "The Last Duel? Kulturkämpfe in fin de siècle New Orleans" (2024). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 3131.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/3131
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.