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.

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.

Available for download on Wednesday, May 02, 2029

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