The Rhetoric of White Slavery and the Making of National Identity

Exhaustively researched, concisely written, and cogently argued, Harris’s analysis of historical debates over “white slavery” provides insightful parallels to contemporary conspiracy theories about sex trafficking. Harris makes clear the rhetoric around “white slavery” was less about prostitution and more about whiteness and national identity, women’s public role, and the use of mobility (and its restrictions) as a form of social control.
—Catherine Helen Palczewski, professor of Communication and Media, University of Northern Iowa, coauthor of Rhetoric in Civic Life (3rd ed.) and Gender in Communication (4th ed.)

Harris’s thoroughly researched and carefully argued case studies present a cohesive and compelling argument about how rhetorics of race, gender, and mobility have been deployed to shore up a white supremacist version of US national identity. This important research lends insight not only into historical discourses about womanhood and sexual exploitation; the book also outlines troubling themes and strategies that often are present in contemporary anti-trafficking rhetoric. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding how gendered exploitation is strategically and cynically used to perpetuate oppressive power structures.

—Karrin Vasby Anderson, professor of communication studies, Colorado State University, and coauthor of Woman President: Confronting Postfeminist Political Culture