Theresa Runstedtler 
Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner 
Boxing in the Shadow of the Global Color Line

In his day, Jack Johnson—born in Texas, the son of former slaves—was the most famous black man on the planet. As the first African American World Heavyweight Champion (1908–1915), he publicly challenged white supremacy at home and abroad, enjoying the same audacious lifestyle of conspicuous consumption, masculine bravado, and interracial love wherever he traveled.
Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner provides the first in-depth exploration of Johnson’s battles against the color line in places as far-flung as Sydney, London, Cape Town, Paris, Havana, and Mexico City. In relating this dramatic story, Theresa Runstedtler constructs a global history of race, gender, and empire in the early twentieth century.

Table of Content

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments


Preface: Sparring Nations, Global Problem

Introduction: Jack Johnson, Rebel Sojourner


1. Embodying Empire: Jack Johnson and the White Pacific

2. White Censors, Dark Screens: The Jeffries-Johnson Fight Film Controversy

3. Jack Johnson versus John Bull: The Rise of the British Boxing Colour Bar

4. The Black Atlantic from Below: African American Boxers and the Search for Exile

5. Trading Race: Black Bodies and French Regeneration

6. Viva Johnson! Fighting over Race in the Americas

7. The Empire Strikes Back: The ‘French Jack Johnson’ and the Rising Tide of Color


Epilogue: Visible Men, Harmless Icons


Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Theresa Runstedtler is Assistant Professor of American Studies at the University of Buffalo.