Domestic Contradictions: Race and Gendered Citizenship from Reconstruction to Welfare Reform

In Domestic Contradictions, Priya Kandaswamy explores how race, class, gender, and sexuality shaped welfare practices in the US and the conflicting demands imposed upon Black women. She highlights the continuity between the figures of the "vagrant" and "welfare queen" in these time periods, which upheld gendered constructions of domesticity and defined Black women's citizenship in terms of an obligation to work. Kandaswamy challenges dominant feminist historiographies and emphasizes the gendered afterlife of slavery as central to the historical development of the welfare state.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 05 October 2021
Publisher: Duke University Press

In her groundbreaking book, Domestic Contradictions, Priya Kandaswamy delves into a comprehensive analysis of how race, class, gender, and sexuality have shaped welfare practices in the United States, while also exploring the conflicting demands imposed upon Black women within this system. Kandaswamy takes us on a journey back to an often overlooked period in welfare history, the establishment of the Freedmen's Bureau during Reconstruction, and highlights striking similarities with welfare reform in the late twentieth century. Through her meticulous research, Kandaswamy demonstrates the continuity between the figures of the "vagrant" and "welfare queen" in these different time periods, both of which targeted Black women. These constructs perpetuated gendered notions of domesticity while defining Black women's citizenship in terms of an obligation to work rather than a right to public resources.

Kandaswamy's book challenges dominant feminist historiographies by placing the gendered afterlife of slavery at the center of the historical development of the welfare state. She builds on Black feminist and queer of color critiques to shed light on the ways in which gender, sexuality, and race have intersected to create complex and often harmful systems of support. By examining the experiences of Black women, Kandaswamy reveals the ways in which welfare policies have perpetuated cycles of poverty and inequality, while also highlighting the resilience and creativity of Black communities in navigating these systems.

Through her powerful storytelling and insightful analysis, Kandaswamy offers a fresh perspective on the history of welfare in the United States. Domestic Contradictions is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality in shaping social policy and the lives of marginalized communities.

Weight: 370g
Dimension: 153 x 228 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478014317