Southern Enclosure: Settler Colonialism and the Postwar Transformation of Mississippi

The "Southern enclosure movement" of the 1940s and 1950s was a significant event in the history of the American South, leading to the mechanization and consolidation of cotton farming and displacing countless Black farmers. John H. Cables' book "Southern Enclosure" explores this process through the lens of settler colonialism, highlighting the ongoing colonization of land that began with Indian Removal. The book compares the South to other settler societies and suggests ways in which the BIAs termination policy dovetailed with Southern segregationism.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 30 November 2023
Publisher: University Press of Kansas

Historians of the American South have recognized the mechanization and consolidation of cotton farming, known as the "Southern enclosure movement," as a pivotal moment in the region's history. This transition, which occurred in the decades following World War II, led to the displacement of countless sharecroppers, tenant farmers, and smallholders from their land, redistributing territory and resources upward to a select few large, predominantly white operators. The enclosure process, by disproportionately affecting Black farmers, significantly hindered the progress of the civil rights movement and limited its impact.

John H. Cables' book, "Southern Enclosure," is a groundbreaking study that explores this process through the lens of settler colonialism. Focusing on east-central Mississippi, the home of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Cables situates enclosure within the broader context of dispossession that began with Indian Removal. The book follows elite white landowners and Black and Choctaw farmers from World War II to 1960, a period when the old, labor-intensive farm structure collapsed. By acknowledging that this process occurred on taken land, Cables demonstrates that the records of agricultural agents, segregationist politicians, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are evidence of ongoing colonization.

The settler colonial framework, which is rarely associated with the postwar South, provides valuable insights into the shifting categories of race and class. It also prompts comparisons with other settler societies, such as those in southern and eastern Africa, whose timelines, racial regimes, and agrarian transitions were similar to those of the South. This postwar history of the South sheds light on the ways in which the BIA's termination policy aligned with Southern segregationism and highlights some of the limitations of the burgeoning civil rights movement.

In conclusion, the mechanization and consolidation of cotton farming, as well as the subsequent Southern enclosure movement, marked a significant turning point in the region's history. The displacement of Black farmers and the hindrance of the civil rights movement by enclosure have had lasting consequences that continue to shape the South today. By examining these events through the settler colonial framework, historians can better understand the complex and multifaceted history of the American South and its ongoing struggles for social justice and equality.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780700635832