My dissertation work draws on data from a variety of sources and methodological approaches to gain a more nuanced understanding of racially-motivated violence in the United States and the lasting implications of such violence on the political behavior of those targeted.
Specifically, I consider the immediate and lingering political consequences of racially-motivated violence, both in the past and in the present, creating a dataset over time which operates outside the definitional boundaries of concepts like hate crime or terrorism. I argue that racially- motivated violence, while intended as a tool of repression, can be a counter-productive force over time, instead rallying the communities victimized in the face of threat.
Increasingly frequent news coverage of violence driven my racial animus highlights that these occurrences are not a new form of violence in the United States, but that the lasting damage they leave to communities and the broader challenges they pose to the American political system remain understudied.
Contact
Kiela Crabtree
crabtka@umich.edu
5775 Haven Hall
505 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109