Citation

Gabriel R, Tolnay S. Sociol. Spectr. 2017; 37(2): 77-96.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Mid-South Sociological Association, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/02732173.2017.1287614

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Research shows enduring impacts of lynching on a variety of modern outcomes. For instance, Messner, Baller, and Zevenbergen found that lynching is associated with contemporary white-on-black homicide. We propose a model describing how events from the past can have effects on events in the present. Essential to our framework is the notion of social forces of "resistance" that can impede or facilitate the temporal transmission of collective memories. We test "indicators of resistance" that influence the transmission of a collective memory supportive of a "legacy of lynching." Analyses reveal that the positive and significant association between lynching and white-on-black homicide observed by Messner et al. is attenuated and becomes statistically nonsignificant with the inclusion of these indicators. Our results suggest that the temporal transmission of a racist cultural schema manifested through lynching is more likely where resistance is low. These findings have implications for how researchers can study historical legacies.

Language: en