Jefferson’s Body: A Corporeal Biography by Maurizio Valsania

Jefferson’s Body: A Corporeal Biography by Maurizio Valsania offers a novel approach to understanding Thomas Jefferson's personality and worldview through the lens of corporeality. The study reveals that Jefferson, while presenting an idealized image of moderate masculinity rooted in Enlightenment principles, harbored paradoxical views on 'others,' particularly Native Americans, African Americans, and women, reflecting the racialized and gendered hierarchies of his era. Valsania's method combines historical narrative with insights from anthropology, psychology, and whiteness studies to analyze Jefferson's physical presence, medical conditions, and social interactions, arguing that his body both shaped and was shaped by his beliefs.

Rogers, C. J. (2019). Jefferson’s Body: A Corporeal Biography by Maurizio Valsania. Journal of the Early Republic, 39(2), 345–348. https://doi.org/10.1353/jer.2019.0037