Affect Theory, Noise, and Rhythms of Resistance in 1819 New Orleans

In 1819, Anglo-American architect Benjamin Latrobe observed an “Assembly of Negroes” in New Orleans, engaging in singing, dancing, and drumming. Dismissing the event's sacred and social dimensions rooted in Africana religious practices, he characterized it with terms such as “noise” and “brutally savage.” This paper leverages affect theory to reinterpret this historical moment, highlighting the non-discursive interplay between race, religion, and music. Affect theory, which posits knowledge as emerging from the junctures of thinking and feeling, unveils new analytical avenues for 1) deconstructing the economies of white racialized “logic,” and 2) framing Afro-diasporic music and rhythm as intellectual and corporeal counterpoints to the logic of racial oppression. It argues that Latrobe’s account exemplifies how racism is rationalized through affective means, and positions Afro-Creole rhythm as a multifaceted and embodied affirmation of black life, capable of articulating political, scientific, and social ways of knowing against the denial of black humanity.