Swift to wrath: lynching in global perspective

Scholarship on lynching has typically been confined to the extralegalexecution of African Americans in the American South.

The nine essays collected here look atlynching in the context of world history, encouraging a complete rethinking of the history ofcollective violence.

Employing a diverse range of case studies, the volume's contributors workto refute the notion that the various acts of group homicide called "lynching" in Americanhistory are unique or exceptional.

Some essays consider the practice of lynchingin a global context, confounding the popular perception that Americans were alone in their behaviorand suggesting a wide range of approaches to studying extralegal collective violence.

Others revealthe degree to which the practice of lynching has influenced foreigners' perceptions of theUnited States and asking questions such as, Why have people adopted the term lynching-oravoided it?

How has the meaning of the word been transformed over time in society?

What contextualfactors explain such transformations?

Ultimately, the essays illuminate, opening windows on ordinarypeople's thinking on such critical issues as the role of law in their society and theirattitudes toward their own government.