When Rape Was Legal—The Untold History of Sexual Violence During Slavery by Rachel A. Feinstein. 2018. Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group: New York, NY. 108 pp. $29.57 paper. ISBN: 9781138629684 [Book Review]

Book Review of When Rape Was Legal—The Untold History of Sexual Violence During Slavery by Rachel A. Feinstein
In When Rape Was Legal—The Untold History of Sexual Violence During Slavery, Rachel A. Feinstein writes clearly and succinctly on the often ignored and dismissed history of sexual violence against black women during slavery in the American South. More than just a historical account of the systematic sexual exploitation of these women, this book builds on Collins’ (2005) matrix of domination by examining the larger consequences of this history in shaping the intersectional gendered racist system of oppression that persists today. Though reductive at times, this analysis provides a glimpse into the layered nature of intersectional oppression, forcing us to consider how modern-day white privilege and power are still in part shaped by the sexual violence and exploitation of black women during slavery. [...]