In this book Tiya Miles explores the popular yet troubling phenomenon of ghost tours, frequently promoted and experienced at plantations, urban manor homes, and cemeteries throughout the South. As a staple of the tours, guides entertain paying customers by routinely relying on stories of enslaved black specters. But who are these ghosts? Examining popular sites and stories from these tours, Miles shows that haunted tales routinely appropriate and skew African American history to produce representations of slavery for commercial gain. Dark tourism often highlights the most sensationalist and macabre aspects of slavery, from salacious sexual ties between white masters and black women slaves to the physical abuse and torture of black bodies to the supposedly exotic nature of African spiritual practices. Because the realities of slavery are largely absent from these tours, Miles reveals how they continue to feed problematic Old South narratives and erase the hard truths of the Civil War era. In an incisive and engaging work, Miles uses these troubling cases to shine light on how we feel about the Civil War and race, and how the ghosts of the past are still with us.
✔ Author(s): Tiya Miles
✔ Title: Tales from the Haunted South (The Steven and Janice Brose Lectures in the Civil War Era)
✔ Rating : 4.5 out of 5 base on (72 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 146963614X
✔ ISBN-13: 9781469636146
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
Readers' opinions about Tales from the Haunted South by Tiya Miles
Elaine Leonard
I'm still in awe of the intricate plot and the way everything seamlessly came together. The twists kept me guessing until the very end. It's one of those rare books that leave a lasting impact.
Sarah Franklin
The rich historical context of the book added a layer of depth that I found fascinating. It was like stepping back in time and experiencing history firsthand.
Tasha Cobbett
I'm already planning to reread this book. It's one of those stories that you can revisit again and again, discovering new layers of meaning each time.
