Cast down: abjection in America, 1700-1850

Derived from the Latin 'abiectus,' literally meaning 'thrown or cast down,' 'abjection names the condition of being servile, wretched, or contemptible.

In Western religious tradition, to be abject is to submit to bodily suffering or psychological mortification for the good of the soul.

In 'Cast Down,' Mark J. Miller argues that transatlantic Protestant discourses of abjection engaged with, and furthered the development of, concepts of race and sexuality in the creation of public spheres and public spheres.