2025 Summer Research Symposium • B. Haynes • July 9, 2025

B. Haynes

Class of 2026

Major: English

Mentor: Nicole Lopez, PhD, St. Mary’s University

Separate But Found: An Anthropological Analysis of Toni Morrison’s Beloved

Separation is the ideal solution for African American women to recover their humanity and build

a future in America, according to Toni Morrison's Beloved. African American women

assimilating with their White oppressors is not advantageous to their survival, and this is

revealed through the extremely different experiences that Baby Suggs, Sethe, Beloved, and

Denver have had with Whiteness, experiences that have irrevocably altered their lives and

viewpoints. These women understandably harbor a strong hatred for their oppressor and would

be unable to foster a coexistence with them, given their suffering after being the victims of

sexual assault, lynchings, hard labor, substandard living circumstances, and death regularly. To

demonstrate the methodical methods in which women are dehumanized under Whiteness and the

reasons for the separation, this essay examines each lady, their most pivotal moment, and their

experiences within the book through Agamben's philosophy.

Keywords: Race, Anthropology, Maternity, Sociology, Psychology