The Sense of Slavery in Antebellum Charleston, South Carolina

This paper examines subtle, yet powerful ways in which race was played out on the micro and macro, intangible and tangible landscapes of antebellum Charlston, South Carolina. While many scholars of the built environment have grappled with such issues in urban settings, few have moved beyond examination of architectural evidence to analyze the accompanying sensorial landscapes.

I utilize extant physical evidence as well as primary and secondary soures to develop my point that making sense of bodily sensations within the physical environment is essential to the understanding of this place and its people. This is a gender-driven analysis: I bring into play current theory regarding the standpoint of women to make my argument.

Those who built, regulated and resisted the dense urban fabric of antebellum Charleston had to consider many factors including race, gender, architectural settings and spaces, and, as I point out, intengible and unpredictable movements, sights and sounds. Landscapes which were planned and built to establish the role of blacks were often used to their advantage at various times of the day and night, through noise and sielnce, through physical presence and absence.