“Let him be left to feel his way in the dark;” frederick douglass: White surveillance and dark sousveillance

Abstract

Examining surveillance and “sousveillance” (or under-veillance) strategies employed throughout Frederick Douglass’s slavery narratives, this chapter illustrates how Douglass brings about an ironic reversal of control on the part of the slave. Arguing that white surveillance depends upon the threat and realisation of violence, it illustrates how Douglass’ narratives use counter-strategies known as dark sousveillance to undermine the slaveholder’s control. It also considers how the opportunistic nature of white surveillance used the policing of the black population as an excuse to extend its scope and powers, which may have sowed the seeds for contemporary acts of domestic and international surveillance in America. The chapter concludes by examining modern white surveillance and dark sousveillance, highlighting how recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, demonstrate a continuing conflict between the two.