Currencies of Cruelty

Slavery, Freak Shows, and the Performance Archive

Uncovers a haunting yet vital record of bodies commodified, archived, and performed

Currencies of Cruelty is a bold and incisive reconsideration of the relationship between enslavement, disability, and performance in 19th- and early 20th-century America. Danielle Bainbridge traces how the transition from slavery to legal freedom became entangled with the spectacle of the freak show stage, where disabled and racialized performers – often denied traditional labor opportunities – became highly lucrative attractions.

At the heart of this powerful study are conjoined twins Millie Christine McKoy, born into slavery and later emancipated, and the so-called "original Siamese Twins," Chang and Eng Bunker, who navigated the freak show circuit not only as performers but also as enslavers. Their stories reveal how archival practices surrounding enslavement and performance labor worked in tandem, creating a system where unfree and newly freed bodies were simultaneously valued and devalued – exploited for their spectacle yet rendered abject within traditional labor economies.

Blending historical analysis with innovative archival theory, Currencies of Cruelty challenges conventional narratives of labor, freedom, and human worth. Bainbridge introduces the concept of the "future perfect" archive – one that anticipates what will have been rather than merely recording the past – offering a radical new way to engage with histories of enslavement, disability, and performance. A gripping exploration of race, commerce, and bodily spectacle, this book sheds crucial light on how histories of subjugation continue to shape our understanding of value and visibility today.

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