Joining Places Summary

Kaye examines the establishment of intimate relations in the slave neighborhood of the Natchez District, along with other topics, in his work, Joining Places: Slave Neighborhoods in the Old South. These African Americans had distinguished understandings of the levels of relationship, which include sweethearting, taking up, living together, and lastly marriage. Intimate relations were the origin of much of the fervor and passion which existed in the society. Along with these relations, on the other hand, came hardships, both for the enslaved Africans and for their owners. “Planters as well as their drivers and overseers forced themselves sexually on bondwomen,” because they viewed this as a way to increase property and working capacity (Kaye 53). Not only were enslaved Africans encouraged in sexual relations amidst each other for the wrong reasons, but they were also compelled into sexual relations with slave owners and preceptors. Nonetheless, some slave master encouraged intimate relations among the enslaved, and even provided them with the necessary essentials to partake in wedding ceremonies and services alike.
Kaye devotes much of his work to specifying what exactly made up the slave communities. He gives the reader an in depth depiction of what goes on in the neighborhoods of the Natchez District, and activities they undertook to cope with their environment. Joyner does not indulge in great detail on what exactly transpired in slave communities, instead he provides interpretation on how they transformed their culture to endure the atrocious environment. With this interpretation, we get extensive insight on the practices of the enslaved, along with supporting information explaining why these practices came to be. For example, Joyner gives a detailed explanation of the African American folktale and how these folktales accommodate moral