The Ku Klux Klan was a major force in American political and social life throughout the better part of the nineteen-twenties. This study examines the Klan, its growth, role, and demise with respect to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It is largely the story of the Klans failure to develop successfully as it was inhibited by local political factors throughout the Commonwealth.

The thesis examines the role of women in the Ku Klux Klan in the early 1920s. The author seeks to analyze the following aspects: the main goal is to prove that the foundation and the very existence of the women's auxiliary (WKKK) points to inner tensions within the movement. The WKKK, therefore, can be used as a model or a case study in order to highlight all the issues the Klan had to face, from financial struggles and various allegations to transient and unstable membership. Secondly, the author sets out to verify whether and to what degree WKKK members legitimized the Klan, be it from the outside (public opinion) or from the inside. The author also places emphasis on the fact that the Klan should not be primarily viewed as a violent racist organization, but as a group of members who felt threatened by the outside world from which they needed to shelter themselves. Social life of the Klan and what role Klanswomen had, charity work, or interventions in local affairs play a vital role in this thesis as a result. Last but not least, proper understanding of primary sources is essential. They are obviously highly subjective and serve as a prime example of how reality differed from what was stated. (W)KKK pamphlets and writings were colored by fear of the so-called "other". Most texts written by...

No description available.

This essay investigates how Philip Guston and Henry Taylor explore the subject of African American oppression in their art and how they have been received by critics and art institutions. Using semiotics based on Hans Haydens article “Den omplacerade koden: Om Edgar Degas Interiör”, this essay explores how meaning is created in signs existing within the respective artists’ works. Readings of the artists´ own words has also assisted in the search for meaning and understanding of the paintings. Postcolonial perspectives were also applied for the means of interpreting the artworks in question, and the signs they contain. For this section Ania Loombas book Colonialism/postcolonialism as well as Åsa Bharathi Larsons doctorate thesis Colonizing Fever have been utilized.        After the visual analysis the essay investigates how the artists have been received by critics and art institutions. In the case of Guston, a time difference is also accounted for, analyzing how his work was received when he first presented his paintings in the 70’s compared to today. Upon analyzing Guston’s work multiple signs were identified and interpreted. Most notably the hooded Klan member, whose representative purpose is multifaceted, communicative of subjects such as racism, guilt, and the concept of being evil. Visual codes regarding self-portraiture also pointed at one of the paintings as being a self-portrait. This theory is also supported by Guston’s own claim of the Klan paintings being pictures of himself.        In Taylors work, signs present and discuss oppression of black people in America from a historical as well as a contemporary perspective, often referencing people and places personal to Taylor.        In the 1970’s Philip Guston’s Klan paintings were heavily critiqued for their visual qualities and stylistic expression, while no notable comments were made of the content/subject matter. Today the situation is different, with the main critique of his works being directed to his use of Klan imagery. Many artists and writers today are in support of Gustons work though.         Henry Taylor’s paintings are generally well received by critics and have seen a rise in popularity concurrent with the Black Lives Matter movement. Taylor has also recently been the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Modern Museum of Contemporary art in LA.

No description available.

No description available.

The aim of this thesis is to narrate and analyze lynching and atypical violence in Denton County, Texas, between 1920 and 1926. Through this intensive study of a rural county in north Texas, the role of law enforcement in typical and systemic violence is observed and the relationship between Denton County Officials and the Ku Klux Klan is analyzed. Chapter 1 discusses the root of the word lynching and submits a call for academic attention to violence that is unable to be categorized as lynching due to its restrictive definition. Chapter 2 chronicles known instances of lynching in Denton County from its founding through the 1920s including two lynchings perpetrated by Klavern 136, the Denton County Klan. Chapter 3 examines the relationship between Denton County Law Enforcement and the Klan. In Chapter 4, seasons of violence are identified and applied to available historical records. Chapter 5 concludes that non-lynching violence, termed "disappearances," occurred and argues on behalf of its inclusion within the historiography of Jim Crow Era criminal actions against Black Americans. In the Prologue and Epilogue, the development and dissolution of the St. John's Community in Pilot Point, Texas, is narrated.