On Plantation Politics: Citizenship and Antislavery Resistance in Douglass’s My Bondage and My Freedom

In republican political philosophy, citizenship is a status that constituted by one’s participation in the public life of polity. its traditional formulation, an exclusionary and hierarchical way defining polity’s membership, because domain activity qualifies as participating highly restricted. I argue Black American abolitionist Frederick Douglass advances radically inclusive conception articulating deeply capacious account what it means to participate On Douglass’s citizenship, contribute polity, thereby be citizen, act ways contest shape polity values. We values not only through discourse traditionally conceived or grand acts like revolt, but also quotidian forms social interaction. his pre-American Civil War thought, deployed conceptual foundation stance enslaved nominally free Americans were already, 1850s, citizens whom ought acknowledge such. The everyday resistance which engaged—their plantation politics—is, for Douglass, paradigmatic type citizenship-constituting activity, involves modes collaboration confrontation enact recognition mutual vulnerability embody assertion one matters. offers normative framework emancipatory struggles strive secure meaningful membership marginalized transformation unjust polities.