Building “Nuestra América:” National Sovereignty and Regional Integration in the Americas* Renata Keller** “It is the hour of reckoning and of marching in unison, and we must move in lines as compact as the veins of silver that lie at the roots of the Andes.” José Martí, “Nuestra América,”1891 José Martí, the Cuban intellectual and independence hero, publis- hed one of his most important essays in a Mexican newspaper while representing Uruguay at the First International Conference of Ame- rican States in Washington DC in 1891. Titled “Nuestra América,” Martí’s call to action touched on a number of themes, including nati- onalism, imperialism, and racism. He urged his readers to discard * Article submitted on September 16th, 2013 and approved for publication in October 16th, 2013. ** Renata Keller is an assistant professor of International Relations at Boston University and holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at Austin. Her research and teaching interests focus on Latin American history, particularly the connections between foreign and domestic politics, the dynamics of the Cold War, and U.S. relations with Latin America. E-mail:
[email protected]. CONTEXTO INTERNACIONAL Rio de Janeiro, vol. 35, no 2, julho/dezembro 2013, p. 537-564. 537 Contexto Internacional (PUC) Vol. 35 no 2 – jul/dez 2013 1ª Revisão: 29/12/2013 Renata Keller their provincial mindsets, insisting that “hometowns that are still strangers to one another XX must hurry to become acquainted, like men who are about to battle together” (MARTÍ, 1977, p. 26).