Stoler's work examines the interplay between sexuality and colonialism, particularly the power dynamics and violence engendered by colonial powers. As an anthropologist, Stoler uses an anthropological lens to scrutinize these dynamics, revealing how the laws and norms of colonial powers played into sexual violence. This work illuminates how law can be a tool for asserting power and control, particularly in a colonial context.
Particularly, Stoler writes of "Black Peril" in African colonies and "White Virtue" which led to strict punishment for men of color engaging in sex with white women, while also creating a cultural or societal norm where white men were able to use law to domimate and abuse women of color.
In many instances, laws were either race-specific or only enforced selctively. This highlights the role of law highlights the role of law as not merely a framework for punishing or preventing violence but also a vehicle for enforcing power dynamics and imperial control.