Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biogr... Cover Art

Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biography (Hardcover)

By: Clifton Crais (Author) and Pamela Scully (Author)


Tower Price: $36.98
Add to BagAdd to Bag Click to go directly to the checkout.
FREE Shop N' Save Shipping. Check individual shipping price. *Some Restrictions Apply.
 
Availability: In Stock

Search Inside

Share This:
Add To KaboodleAdd To Kaboodle  Submit To Digg!Submit To Digg!  Share On FacebookShare On Facebook  Add to FavoritesAdd to Favorites  TwitterTwitter 

Product Description


Run a Quick Search on "Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biography" by Clifton Crais and Pamela Scully to Browse Related Products:

Browse more products related to "Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biography"

Browse more products related to "Clifton Crais and Pamela Scully"


Review

"No one...has succeeded as well as Crais and Scully in illuminating not only [Sara Baartman's] mportant role as icon and symbol but, so important, the human being behind them. Because of their diligent research and their deep understanding of the era in which she lived--along with their sensitivity to our own time and concerns--they have truly given us the 'living breathing person' that was 'Sara Baartman, the human being who was ultimately destroyed by an illusion.'"

Annotation

Displayed on European stages from 1810 to 1815 as the Hottentot Venus, Sara Baartman was one of the most famous women of her day, and also one of the least known. As the Hottentot Venus, she was seen by Westerners as alluring and primitive, a reflection of their fears and suppressed desires. But who was Sara Baartman? Who was the woman who became the Hottentot Venus? Based on research and interviews that span three continents, "Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus" tells the entwined histories of an illusive life and a famous icon. In doing so, the book raises questions about the possibilities and limits of biography for understanding those who live between and among different cultures.

In reconstructing Baartman's life, the book traverses the South African frontier and its genocidal violence, cosmopolitan Cape Town, the ending of the slave trade, the Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, London and Parisian high society, and the rise of racial science. The authors discuss the ramifications of discovering that when Baartman went to London, she was older than originally assumed, and they explore the enduring impact of the Hottentot Venus on ideas about women, race, and sexuality. The book concludes with the politics involved in returning Baartman's remains to her home country, and connects Baartman's story to her descendants in nineteenth- and twentieth-century South Africa.

"Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus" offers the authoritative account of one woman's life and reinstates her to the full complexity of her history.



Customer Reviews for "Sara Baartman and the Hottentot Venus: A Ghost Story and a Biography (Hardcover)" by Clifton Crais (Author) and Pam...

There are no customer reviews yet. Be the first to write a review!

Submit your Review




Explore More Great Tower Sales & Specials



Tower.com BOOK Sales, Promotions & Special Features

Tower.com Popular Book Wiki Articles

  • The Paperback
    Learn more information on the paperback format before choosing which type of book to purchase.
  • The E-Book
    What exactly is an "electronic book?" Learn before you buy with Tower Wiki!
  • The Audio Book
    Do you prefer to read or be read to? Learn more about this increasingly popular book format.

Interact with Tower.com