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Redalyc.Political Culture in the Hispanic Caribbean and The Revista Mexicana del Caribe ISSN: 1405-2962 [email protected] Universidad de Quintana Roo México Martínez Fernández, Luis Political Culture in the Hispanic Caribbean and the Buidling of US Hegemony, 1868-1945 Revista Mexicana del Caribe, vol. VI, núm. 11, 2001 Universidad de Quintana Roo Chetumal, México Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=12801101 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative POLITICALCULTUREINTHEHISPANICCARIBBEANANDTHEBUILDING.../7 POLITICAL CULTURE IN THE HISPANIC CARIBBEAN ANDTHEBUILDINGOFU.S.HEGEMONY,1868-1945 LUISMARTÍNEZ-FERNÁNDEZ DepartmentofPuertoRicanandHispanicCaribbeanStudies Rutgers,TheStateUniversityofNewJersey* Abstract Despitetheseeminglyendlesspossibilitiesforfruitfulcomparisonsaf- fordedbytheHispanicCaribbean,thereexistsahardlyjustifiabledearth ofcomparativestudiesfocusingontheregioncomposedofCuba,Puerto Rico,andtheDominicanRepublic.Thisinterpretativeessay,basedonthe extantsecondaryliteratureontheindividualislands,seekstobegintofill thisvoidbytracingthetrajectoryofCuba,PuertoRico,andtheDomini- canRepublic’spoliticalculturesfromaregionalandcomparativeper- spective.Whilethecasecouldbemadeforincludingothernon-Hispanic componentsoftheCaribbean,thisstudyrecognizestheSpanish-speak- ingAntillesasaculturalregioncomposedofsocietiessharingsimilar insulargeographiesandhistoricalbackgrounds.TheHispanicCaribbean region,becauseofitscommonSpanishheritageanditspersistentvul- nerabilitytoU.S.expansionismandimperialism,standsoutasaparticu- larlyusefulunitforcomparativeanalysis. Keywords:Comparativestudies;PuertoRico;Cuba;DominicanRepublic;The HispanicCaribbean;politicalculture. Resumen ApesardelasnumerosasposibilidadescomparativasquesurgendelCa- ribeHispanolaescasezdeestudioscomparativosqueabordanlaregión queincluyeCuba,PuertoRicoylaRepúblicaDominicana,espocojus- tificable.Esteensayointerpretativo,quesebasaenlasfuentessecun- dariasexistentesenlasislasindividuales,buscallenarelvacíoypropone abordarlaculturapolíticadeestastresislasdesdeunpuntodevistare- gionalycomparativo.Sepodíaargumentarporlainclusióndeotrasáreas no-hispánicasdelCaribe,peroesteestudioreconocelaunidadcultural delassociedadesdelCaribehispano,ysuexperienciahistóricacompar- tida.ElCaribehispano,porsuherenciaespañolaysuconstantevulnera- bilidadfrentealexpansionismoeimperialismonorteamericano,destaca comounaunidadparticularmenterelevanteparaelanálisiscomparativo. Palabrasclave:Estudioscomparativos;PuertoRico;Cuba;RepúblicaDominicana; ElCaribehispano;culturapolítica. *TillettHall231,LivingstonCampus,53Ave.E.Piscataway,NJ08854-8040. RMC,11(2001),7-55 [7] CULTURA POLÍTICA EN EL CARIBE ESPAÑOL YLACONSTRUCCIÓNDELAHEGEMONÍADEEE.UU.,1868-1945 LUISMARTÍNEZ-FERNÁNDEZ DepartmentofPuertoRicanandHispanicCaribbeanStudies Rutgers,TheStateUniversityofNewJersey Résumé EndépitdesnombreusespossibilitésdecomparisonoffertesparlaCaraïbe hispanique,lararetédesétudescomparativesquitouchentlarégion comprenantCuba,PortoRicoetlaRépubliqueDominicainesejustifie mal.Cetteétudeinterprétativebaséesurdessourcessecondaires existantdanscesîles,tentederemplirunvideetseproposed´aborder laculturepolitiquedecestroisentitésd´unpointdevuerégionalet comparatif.Ilseraitpossibled´envisagerl´inclusiond´autresairesnon- hispaniquesdelaCaraïbe,maisl´auteursoulignel´unitéculturelledes sociétésdelaCaraïbehispaniqueetleurcommuneexpériencehistorique. LaCaraïbehispanique,dufaitdesonhéritageespagnoletdelaconstante vulnérabilitéquilaconfronteàl´expansionismeetl´impérialismenord- américains,ladésignecommeuneunitéparticulièrementpropiceà l´analysecomparative. Samenvatting HoewelerlegiomogelijkhedenbestaanomdedelenvanhetSpaans Caribischgebiedmetelkaartevergelijken,bestaanerweinigvergelijkende studiestussenCuba,PuertoRicoenDominikaanseRepubliek.Dezeessay, diegebaseerdisopsecundairebronnenvandeverschillendeeilanden, analyseertdepolitiekecultuurvandezedrieeilandenvanuiteen regionaalenvergelijkendperspectief.Menkanargumenterendatde nietspaanstaligegebiedenookbetrokkenmoetenwordenindeanalyse, tochkiestdezestudievoordecultureleenhistorischeeenheidvande maatschappijenvanhetspaanstaligCaribischgebied.Hetspaanstalig Caribischgebiedvormteeneenheid,wegensdeSpaanseerfenisenhet Noordamerikaanseimperialismeenexpansionisme,endaaromkanhet eenobjectzijnvanvergelijkendestudie. RMC,11(2001),7-55 [8] espitetheseeminglyendlesspossibilitiesforfruitful DcomparisonsaffordedbytheHispanicCaribbean,*there existsahardlyjustifiabledearthofcomparativestudiesfocusing ontheregioncomposedofCuba,PuertoRico,andtheDominican Republic.1Thisisparticularlyevidentwithregardstotwentieth- centurypoliticalhistory,wheretheremarkablydisparatetrajec- toriesofthesethreesocietiesshouldhavefueledatleastsome comparativelyfocusedattention.Thisinterpretativeessay,based ontheextantsecondaryliteratureontheindividualislands,seeks tobegintofillthisvoidbytracingthetrajectoryofCuba,Puerto Rico,andtheDominicanRepublic’spoliticalculturesfromare- gionalandcomparativeperspective.Whilethecasecouldbemade forincludingothernon-HispaniccomponentsoftheCaribbean, thisstudyrecognizestheSpanish-speakingAntillesasacultural regioncomposedofsocietiessharingsimilarinsulargeographies andhistoricalbackgroundswithvaryingdegreesofscarringpro- ducedbyextendedSpanishcolonialism,Africanslavery,and, particularlyrelevantfortheperiodstudiedhere,far-reaching U.S.imperialism.Tobesure,mostoftheotherislandsoftheCar- ibbeanenduredthebruntofslavery;many,likeJamaica,began asneglectedSpanishcolonies;andothers,likeHaiti,suffered prolongedU.S.interventions.Still,theHispanicCaribbeanre- gion,becauseofitscommonSpanishheritageanditspersistent vulnerabilitytoU.S.expansionismandimperialism,standsout asaparticularlyusefulunitforcomparativeanalysis. Whilesharingmanycommoncircumstancesandhistorical experiences,theresultingpoliticalculturesofCuba,PuertoRico, andtheDominicanRepublicarenotablydifferentandwhatsets themaparthasrootsburieddeepintothenineteenth-century, whenthepoliticalculturesofthethreenationsbegantounfold *Thisinterpretativeessayisapreliminarysketchforalargercomparative projectontherelationbetweenpoliticalcultureintheHispanicCaribbeanand U.S.presenceintheregionoverthepastcentury. 1Amongthefewrecentregionalorcomparativestudiesthatincludetwoor morecomponentsoftheHispanicCaribbean,onefinds:Marte([1988]);Martínez- Fernández(1994;2002);Schmidt-Nowara(1999);andAyala(1999). POLITICALCULTUREINTHEHISPANICCARIBBEANANDTHEBUILDING.../9 10/LUISMARTÍNEZ-FERNÁNDEZ alongmarkedlydissimilarpathswhichproduceddifferentpoliti- calmodelsandpoliticalstruggles.Thetermpoliticalcultureis usedthroughoutthisessaytosimplymeanthebeliefsandbe- haviorsofaparticulargroupofpeoplevis-à-visthepoliticalpro- cessesofwhichtheyareparteitherasactiveorpassive participants.2Bypoliticalstrugglesandmodels,Imeantherecur- rentdominantmanifestationsofpoliticalactionandorganiza- tionthatresultfromaparticularpoliticalculture.Likeother culturalmanifestations,politicalcultureistransmittedthrough variousmechanismsofsocialization:familyinfluence,educa- tion,themedia,legislation,etc.Agivengroupinheritsapoliti- calculturebylearningfromthepreviousgeneration:didtheir fathersfightinwars,joinmassparties,etc.?Byexposuretohis- toricaltextsandeducationalmaterials:dotextbooksglorifycivil- iananddemocraticinstitutions?Throughmusicandpopular culture:doesthenationalanthemmakeonefeellikebayonet- ingthenearestSpaniard—aswithLaBayamesa—oraskinga beautifulwomanouttodance—aswithLaBorinqueña; 3and evenbyeverydayiconographicmessages:dothestatuesinpub- licparksdepictsword-wieldingmenonhorsebackorthreepiece suit-cladpoliticians?Throughtheseandothersimilarmecha- nisms,particularaspectsofpoliticalculturearetransmittedfrom onegenerationtothenext,perpetuatingvaluesandbehaviors suchasthevenerationofstrongleaders,highorlowvoterpar- ticipation,thepropensitytomilitarysolutions,andtheabsence orprevalenceofpoliticalsuicide,togivebutafewexamples. Thestructureofthisessayreflectstherecognitionofthe overcasttingpresenceoftheUnitedStatesoveraregionoften referredtoasthe“AmericanMediterranean,”duringacentury widelyregardedasthe“AmericanCentury.”Itispreciselythat dominantinfluence—economic,military,political,andeven cultural—thatprovidesthestrongestargumentforrecourseto 2Forafinediscussionofpoliticalcultureandtheliteratureontheconcept’s evolution,seeBenítezNazario(2001,1-40). 3Cuba’sLaBayamesaisamilitarymarchthatcallstobattlewhilePuerto Rico’sLaBorinqueñaisamelodiousdanzathatdescribestheisland’sphysical beauty. RMC,11(2001),7-55 POLITICALCULTUREINTHEHISPANICCARIBBEANANDTHEBUILDING.../11 aregionalchronologybasedontheevolutionofU.S.presencein theHispanicCaribbean.Still,U.S.desiresandimpositionsover theregionhavehadtocontestwiththeparticularcircumstances andpoliticalculturesofeachisland.ThebuildingofU.S.hege- monyovertheregiondepended,infact,onitssuccessatcon- frontingandmanipulatingtheexistingpoliticalstrugglesand modelsinordertoachieveatleastpartiallocalconsentforin- terventionandvaryingformsofdomination;localpoliticalactors, whilefacingaformidableworldpower,struggledtoasserttheir owninterests,oftenlimitingorredirectingtheextentoftheUnited States’imperialdesigns. Theperiodizationthatstemmedoutofthisperspective (1868-1898,1898-1909,1910-1929,and1930-1945)reflectsthe evolvingandnegotiatedresultsoftheregion’spoliticalcultures, inthelightofimpingingexternalforces.Thedualtitlesused belowforeachperiodpointbothtoarecognitionofU.S.pre-
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